A Knight in Yellow Scrubs
by tigpop
Summary: He had promised himself that he would keep her safe forever. And yet he was the reason she was hurting. - A difficult case pushes Harry and Nikki apart, and Harry ends up regreting his actions.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, this is my first Silent Witness fic, and I'm kinda nervous putting it on here cos I've read so many amazing ones that have so much detail, and I'm hoping that I can write something that is close to as good as them :P**

**Although I've had this idea in my head for ages, I don't know if it's any good. So even though this is only a short introduction chapter and the case isn't really explained any, please let me know if it's terrible :)**

**Of course, all characters belong to the BBC, I'm just borrowing them for my amusement :D**

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__She dragged her bare feet through the floor of leaves that clung to her damp skin as she moved. The rain was falling heavily, and the cold wind continued to whip around her making her shake uncontrollably. She tried to focus on breathing steadily, but every time she inhaled she could feel her chest tighten and her breath catch. She couldn't focus on her surroundings, a fuzzy haze settling in her vision as she stumbled from tree to tree._

_Night had arrived fast and the only light that graced the surroundings came from the moon that struggled to make an appearance through the rainclouds. And yet she managed to keep walking. Walking in no direction in particular, just moving as far away as she could from the nightmare she had escaped from. _

_Time passed as she walked through the trees, her bare arms clutching her body as she shivered and her lips turning blue due to the cold and loss of blood. Her thin white shirt had been soaked a dark red and she had a metallic taste in the back of her throat. A recent gash above her right eyebrow now seemed to be the smallest of her injuries, although the once white steri-strips that had secured the skin were now soaked red from a new injury on the side of her head. _

_Staggering into another tree she tried to take a deep breath and felt the last of her energy leave her body, collapsing to the hard ground. The trees around her rustled in the wind, and she could feel her eyes become heavy as the world around her began to disappear._

_Clutching her ribs she felt the pain shoot through her body once more as the warm blood ran through her fingers. Pulling her knees tight into her chest she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to retain the last of her body heat._

_Her eyes drifted closed, and her breathing became laboured as she tried to switch herself off from the situation she had found herself in. And as the darkness engulfed her completely she managed to whisper a single word._

'_Harry.'_

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* * *

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The cold wind whistled through the trees, and the street light outside her window flickered, casting abstract shadows through her bedroom. Inside the blonde pathologist pulled the blankets up further, and huddled into the warmth of her bed, her mind focusing on nothing and everything at the same time. It had taken her hours to drift off into a state between dreams and reality, and she knew that she would feel the effects of the lack of sleep in the morning.

In this state, dreams and reality seemed to be so tightly intertwined that it was difficult for her to focus on what was real. She was sure she could feel the warmth of a breath on the back of her neck, a familiar soft chuckle in her ear, the buzz of her phone on her bedside table. Her phone? That wasn't usually part of her dreams. Sighing, she turned around and reached out towards the source of the buzzing, reality now taking over fully. Glancing at the number, she flipped open her mobile and lay back down.

'What do you want,' she grumbled into the phone.

'Well good morning to you too,' replied the voice from the other end.

She laughed slightly. 'Do you realise what time it is?' she asked rhetorically. 'Morning has only just began, how do I know if it's going to be a good one?'

'Because you're going to see me,' the voice replied matter-of-factly.

'Hmmm…'she mumbled. 'And I'm guessing seeing you will be closely linked to also seeing a couple of bodies in various stated of decomposition?'

'Yup,' came the voice, far too cheerful for this time in the morning.

'Oh Harry, how romantic,' she laughed. 'And how do you know that I haven't got a better offer here?'

'Don't make me laugh Nikki,' said Harry. 'You left work about six hours ago. Not even you would be able to find someone on the way home.'

'Really?' asked Nikki playfully, not wanting to tell him that it had been closer to three hours since she had left work. 'I'll have you know I found more than one actually. And they're not very happy that you woke them up.'

'Tart,' laughed Harry. 'See you soon; I'll text you the location. And bring wellies.'

'I hate you,' moaned Nikki.

'Charming, as always. Love you too,' said Harry before hanging up the phone.

Nikki threw her phone onto the pillow beside her, and pulled the sheets up over her eyes.

'I'm not going,' she mumbled to herself. 'He can deal with this on his own. I am not giving in.'

* * *

Half an hour later Nikki was standing in the cold winter night, rain soaking her long hair, and almost knee high in mud.

She had stepped into a set of white scrubs whilst sitting in her car that was at the top of the steep slope down towards the crime scene. Harry had text her with the location before she had even managed to drag herself out of bed, but she knew when he had mentioned wellies that she was going to regret going. The bodies had been found on a slope that ran down towards a small river. The ground was marshy and brown, and when she had stepped off the small path at the top of the slope, her feet sank straight into the mud. Harry was situated about half way down the slope with the body of a young male who was covered in blood despite the rain that was still falling.

Pulling on a pair of white surgical gloves, she waded through the mud towards Harry who was crouched over the body, a police officer holding a torch standing next to him. As she got closer, Harry looked up and smiled.

'Glad you could join us,' he smirked as he held his torch up towards her.

'Half an hour ago I was in bed,' she shot as him. '_You _only phoned me because you were bored. Again. You were more than capable of doing this on your own.'

'Caught red handed,' said Harry holding up his hand that was covered in the victims blood.

'Oh you are funny,' said Nikki trying to sound serious, but she couldn't help the smile that was playing on her lips. 'What have you got?'

'A great personality, my own place, and a very posh car,' said Harry, now looking the body over again.

'It is far too early for your bad humour Harry Cunningham,' sighed Nikki as she crouched down to the body.

'Hey, hands off,' smiled Harry. 'I've got you one all of your own.'

He tilted his head in the direction of the river where another police officer was standing. Nikki rolled her eyes and made her way towards the other body.

'Your car's not _that _posh,' she added and heard Harry chuckle behind her.


	2. Chapter 2  Watch Your Step

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews :D**

**I'm not as happy with this chapter, but I think it needs to be there before it moves on to the evidence bit :)**

**Thank you so much to lilypad1, savingthestars, gem.S, Ann1119, Gevaudan and pinkswallowsun. You all made me smile. Lots :D**

**xXx**

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Chapter 2 – Watch Your Step

The body that Nikki was now standing over was that of a young female who was positioned right next to the river bank, lying on her front with one hand hanging over the edge. The river didn't seem particularly deep, but the water crashed the side of the river bed, washing away what ever it came into contact with. It was about a three foot drop into the water, and the spray from the river felt even colder than the rain that was dripping off her nose.

"Have they been photographed?" Nikki asked the police officer who was nearest the body.

The police officer nodded. "The photographer's are in the van. They took the initial photos when Dr Cunningham first got here. If you need anything else photographed then just shout. They said something about keeping the rain off the cameras, but if we need to be in the rain then I don't see why they shouldn't be too."

Nikki nodded and bent down to start the examination of the body. Moving back the body's blonde hair she could see the woman's swollen features, the wound on the side of her head and her purple cheekbone. Nikki shivered, cursing Harry under her breath for getting her out of bed this early.

The woman's body was cold, but it was hard to tell at a glance how long she had been dead due to the weather conditions. From above, she looked intact. There was no blood visible apart from the small gash above her eyebrow, and when Nikki ran a hand over the woman's back there was no obvious signs of damage to her clothing. She started to check the woman's bare arms but it wasn't until she got to her wrists that the blood was visible. The rain had washed any evidence from the top of the body, but when she turned the woman's arm over, the deep gash on the wrist was apparent, and the blood covered the ground below.

Nikki was an experienced enough pathologist to not instantly jump to the 'suicide' conclusion. Nothing was ever as it first seemed. And looking at the crime scene, there was definitely something suspicious. Especially when there was another body involved.

"I think we might need the photographers back," Nikki informed the police officer who nodded and made his way through the mud towards the van at the top of the slope.

Frowning to herself, Nikki moved around to the other side of the body to check the wrist that was hanging over the river bank. The body was lying so close that she had to balance herself on her toes to get a proper look, and she was sure she could feel the soft earth move slightly under her feet. Reaching over the edge, Nikki managed to grasp the woman's wrist in her hand and could see the same deep cut running along that wrist too, the blood running off her fingers in the darkness.

"Nikki," came Harry's voice so close to her that Nikki startled, jumping back slightly. Yet this was all it took for her foot to slip off the edge of the river bank that she was leaning over.

Nikki threw her hands out instinctively in an attempt to balance herself, yet she knew instantly that there was no way to stop herself from sliding through the mud. She toppled off the edge of the bank, hitting the freezing water below. She could feel the icy water sting her eyes and taste the salt fill her nose and mouth.

Pushing herself above the surface of the water, Nikki spluttered and rubbed the water out off her face trying to catch her breath. The water reached above her shoulders, and she could feel the force of the current crashing against her body, threatening to push her back under the surface.

Shivering uncontrollably in the freezing water, Nikki looked round in search of the voice that she could just make out above the crashing of the water against the side of the river bank. Yet the darkness seemed to blend her surroundings in to a blanket of nothingness, and it took most of her concentration to stay on her feet.

Out of nowhere, a beam of light from slightly further down the river shone into her eyes and she blinked against the contrast.

"Nikki," she heard Harry shout clearer than he had sounded before. "Grab my hand, quick."

She could see Harry's hand in the torch light and was about to reach for it when something else on the edge of the river bank caught her eye. As the beam of light hit the object it shone back brightly, reflecting off the light. Nikki managed to move closer and could see the sharp edge of a blade visible through the mud. Pulling out an evidence bag from her pocket she carefully lifted the blade and dropped it in before putting the bag back into her pocket.

"Nikki!" he heard Harry shout again, and looking towards the sound of his voice she could see him lying on his front, his arms over the side of the bank. "Quick, grab hold."

Blinking against the rain and the spray from the water, Nikki stretched up and felt Harry's gloved hands grip hers. Before she could work out what was happening, Harry had pulled her from the water, and they were both lying by the side of the river breathing heavily. Coughing, Nikki pushed herself onto her knees and closed her eyes, shivering involuntarily once again. Her soaking hair was stuck to the side of her face, and she could feel the mud on her skin.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and a quiet voice just inches from her ear as he softly moved back her hair from her face.

"You ok?" Harry asked.

Nikki turned to Harry and nodded.

"I'm fine," she coughed. "Never better. First you call me out in the rain at stupid o'clock in the morning, and then you nearly drown me!"

"Didn't I just save your life?" Harry smirked.

"You're the reason I fell in," Nikki said, shoving Harry in the shoulder.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're clumsy," laughed Harry. "You sure you're ok though?"

Nikki smiled at the look of concern on Harry's face.

"I'm fine," she said, sitting back on her knees and pulling the evidence bag out of her pocket. "And I think I've just found your murder weapon."

* * *

Harry held Nikki's arm as she stepped out of her protective overalls that were no longer white. Everything that she was wearing was soaked from the river, and she continued to shiver in the cold. Harry let go of her as she began to put her wellies back on, and started back towards his car that was parked in front of Nikki's. He had already stepped out of his mud covered overalls, and had managed to find a clear pair of shoes in his car.

Just as he got to his car he heard a small squeak from behind him, and when he looked round again, Nikki was sitting in the mud, her boot beside her. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her covered in mud again, and made his way back, holding out his hand to pull her to her feet. She sighed and closed her eyes against the rain that was still falling.

"This is not my morning," she said, mainly to herself, glaring at Harry as he laughed at her again.

"That one wasn't my fault," he smiled, before adding, "The overalls worked well then."

Nikki shot him a look that told him to 'shut up,' but he has enjoying himself far too much.

"You see Nikki," he continued. "The overalls are there to protect your nice clean clothes underneath. That's why I'm no longer covered in mud."

"Really?" asked Nikki. "And nothing to do with reducing contamination at the crime scene?"

"Hmm… yeah that probably has something to do with it too," Harry laughed. "Sorry, but you really do look a mess."

Nikki scowled at him again before flicking her hand in his direction, splattering Harry's face in wet mud that covered her hands.

"Oops," she smiled as Harry rubbed the mud out of his eyes. "Not completely clear form mud then."

Harry looked Nikki over as she shivered, her hair dripping from the cold water and mud covering most of her skin.

"Please tell me you're ok to drive," he smiled. "Because I'd rather not give you a lift in my car like that."


	3. Chapter 3  Muddy Puddles

**:O Thank you! You will not believe how surprised I am that there are people reading this, never mind reviewing!**

**To pinkswallowsun, Gevaudan, lilypad1, savingthestars, Lizziginne, dinabar and gem.S (hope your fingers are ok!) - I'm sending you all a virtual hug to say thank you! :D**

**I do have an idea for this promise... it just seems to be going slow at the moment :S**

**xXx**

Chapter 3 – Muddy Puddles

Harry and Nikki squelched into the Lyell Centre, leaving muddy foot prints behind them. Leo looked up from his case notes in bewilderment at their entrance, and left his office curious as to why they were both in so early. He met them as they made their way to Harry's desk, and it was only then that he could see the amount of mud that they had left behind them.

"What-" he began, but Nikki cut him off.

"Don't ask," she sighed as she kicked her wellies off, causing more water to splash the floor. "Just don't."

"It's barely gone six, and already you two look like you've been mud wrestling," said Leo, amusement in his voice.

"Damn," smiled Harry. "He caught us."

Nikki glared at him and leant against his desk to steady herself as she took her socks off, the water dripping to the floor as she did so.

"Why are you in so early?" Leo asked her as she took her hairbrush from Harry's desk and started to work out the knots in her rain soaked and muddy hair.

"She decided to go for a swim before work," Harry grinned, and Nikki shot him another look.

"Oh you didn't call her out again did you?" Leo asked, turning to Harry.

Harry shrugged and shook off his coat.

"I might have suggested that I could possibly do with some help," he answered, trying to hide the grin that was threatening to reappear.

Leo shook his head, looking back at Nikki. "Did you actually sleep last night?"

Nikki nodded. "A little," she lied.

"Why do I find that hard to believe," he said to her, raising his eyebrows. "I know you were in here until after eleven last night."

"You were?" Harry asked, turning to Nikki. "Why didn't you say?"

"I went to bed as soon as I got in," Nikki lied again. "I'm fine."

"Hmmm," Leo mumbled, studying Nikki for signs of fatigue. "Anyway. I know it's raining, but _why_ are you so soggy? And muddy…"

"Ask Harry," Nikki said, glancing in his direction. "I'm going for a shower before I start the PM."

"Me too," added Harry as he made to follow her. "Not the same shower of course," he added to Nikki, who rolled her eyes and continued towards the locker rooms.

"And what about the muddy footprints that you two have trailed through the building?" Leo called after them.

Nikki turned towards Leo. "Oh, I'm sure Harry will clean that up for you before his shower."

"I think I deserved that one," Harry sighed as he made his way back to the puddles of muddy water, watching Nikki walk away as she continued to brush her hair.

* * *

Harry met Nikki in the cutting room half an hour later, her now clean hair tied in a loose braid down her back, and dressed in a set of pristine white scubs. She smiled when she saw him enter.

"Any more muddy footprints?" she giggled as he made his way to the sink.

"Not any more," he said, "No thanks to some."

"Hey, it was your fault in the first place," she said trying to look serious, but she couldn't help but smile, before adding, "We have work to do," and making her way to the body that was on the slab waiting.

Leo's clear voice echoed through the cutting room, and looking up, both saw him standing at the balcony that overlooked the room, a tall, balding man standing next to him.

"Harry, Nikki," he spoke clearly, but they could see the irritated look in his eyes at the other man's presence. "This is DCI Maddox. He will be in charge of this investigation, and has asked to watch the post mortems."

"Of course," Nikki nodded, giving a quick smile to Leo. Maddox however didn't take his eyes off the bodies, his arms remaining tightly knitted across his chest.

Harry moved to the other body that had been prepped by Zak and looked at Nikki.

"Well, on you go then," he smiled. "Ladies first."

Nikki rolled her eyes as she began the initial study of the body.

"The body appears to be that of a white woman, estimated to be in her late twenties, and measuring-" she held out the measuring tape to Zak who moved towards the woman's toes. "One hundred and sixty five centimetres. Thanks Zak," she smiled at him as she lifted the woman's arm.

"There is a deep wound on the right wrist measuring four centimetres in length, and another on the left wrist measuring three and a half centimetres," she continued. "The wounds seem to have a jagged edge, consistent with the weapon that was found at the scene. The radial artery on both wrists seem to have been severed."

"There also appears to be bruising on both upper arms, that could have been a result of someone grabbing her," she said, tilting her head to the side and placing her hands on the bruises so that her fingers roughly lined up with the marks. "As well as considerate bruising to her face. Feels like the cheekbone is fractured," she added feeling the cheek slightly. "And a small wound on the left temple roughly two centimetres long is visible. She could have been struck with something."

"There are no other visible signs to the body on the front," Zak helped roll the woman on to her side so Nikki could see, "Or to the back," she added after thoroughly looking over the body.

"There does appear to be skin underneath the finger nails however, as well as other pigments. Again, this could be the result of a struggle, but I can not say for sure until it has been tested," Nikki held up a sample from under the fingernails to Zak, who handed her a container.

"The head wound seems to be fairly superficial. I don't think it would have been enough to knock her unconscious, but I'll have a closer look when we open her up," she stated. "From looking at the body I'd say the cause of death is massive blood loss due to the wounds on her wrists. But there is no way that she could have done this to herself. One wrist yes, but both? After severing the artery in one wrist, you'd be highly unlikely to manage the other one too."

Harry nodded to her as she stood back from the body, glancing up at the observatory balcony. Yet DCI Maddox still hadn't moved.

"The second body was found in the same location, roughly twenty yards apart. The body appears to be that of a white male, also estimated to be in his late twenties, or possibly early thirties, measuring," again Zak held the other end of the measuring tape, this time for Harry. "Roughly one hundred and eighty five centimetres."

"There are what appears to be two stab wounds on the front of the body, one measuring two centimetres, between the third and forth rib on the left hand side, approximately five centimetres from the arm. As well as another, also measuring two centimetres, at roughly the same height," Harry placed his gloved hand on the man's chest and bent his head lower. "This one appears to have entered the chest cavity, and is approximately four centimetres across, and one centimetre down from the other wound. Both wounds appear to have a jagged edge, again consistent with the weapon found at the scene."

"There appears to be a considerably amount of mud under the finger nails," Harry continued as he scraped a sample out with a small blade. "Could be skin cells too. We'll have it tested along with the other body's sample."

"Zak," Harry pointed to the body, and made a small circular motion with his fingers. Once they had turned the body over, Harry sighed heavily.

"There is also a stab wound to the back, between the T4 and T5 vertebrae," he stated. "Again, measuring two centimetres. I can't be sure until I've had a closer look, but I'm guessing that this would have severed the spinal chord."

Zak and Harry moved the body back on to it's back and Harry took a closer look at the man's hands. "There looks like there is the beginning of a bruise on his right knuckle," he said. "Could be nothing. Could indicate a struggle." Harry looked over at Nikki who was watching him closely, before adding "Could have caused the wound on her head. I'll send away some samples."

"My initial beliefs are that cause of death was massive internal bleeding, caused mainly by the chest wound. But again, I need to wait until I open him up before I can give a definite answer," Harry finished, stepping back from the body.

"Have they been identified yet?" Nikki asked Maddox who shook his head.

"Then I'd rather wait for the families to be informed before we begin the internal investigation," Harry added, and Nikki nodded in agreement.

Maddox simply nodded his head, and left the balcony.

"What a cheery individual," Harry muttered as soon as he knew Maddox wouldn't be able to hear him. "Zak, can you put the bodies back into the fridge. We'll carry on once they've been identified."

"Sure," Zak nodded.

Nikki pulled off her surgical gloves and made her way to the locker rooms, Harry closely behind her.

Grabbing her by the wrist, Harry stopped her just as they had stepped through the door.

"You smell of strawberries," he said, moving closer to Nikki, sniffing her hair slightly. "Why do you smell of strawberries?"

"Because I use something called shampoo Harry," she smiled at him before reaching up and running a hand through his still damp hair. "You should really try it some time."


	4. Chapter 4  Are you ticklish?

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** Seriously, I am amazed at the reviews, and that this is still getting read.****  
****I do promise that it will start to progress soon... Just need to get the jigsaw pieces out before it can start to be put together :D**

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**xXx**

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Chapter 4 – Are you ticklish?

Leo stared at his computer screen, a list of reports that were due in front of him. With a sigh he counted the number of reports that were due from Harry, and was unsurprised to find that it was almost double the amount that was due from Nikki. And he knew for a fact that unlike Harry, Nikki would be working on her paperwork whenever she had the time. He understood that they had been busy recently, Leo had reports due himself, but Harry seemed to be far too easily distracted.

Moving to stand at his office door, Leo could see Nikki sitting at her desk reading a report, with Harry standing close behind her. Both were unaware that Leo was watching, and he could hear Harry tapping his fingers on the edge of Nikki's desk.

Stretching out his arm, Harry poked Nikki in the side of the ribs, before whipping his hand back to his side.

"'What was that for?" Nikki squirmed, looking up from her report.

"Nothing," Harry smiled. "I was bored and wanted to know if you were ticklish."

"Hmmm,' Nikki mumbled, looking back to the reports. "Well, now you know."

Harry laughed and continued to tap his fingers on her desk once again, before reaching out in Nikki's direction, poking her in the same spot as before.

"What was that one for?" Nikki sighed, as she jumped back again and turned towards Harry, but even Leo could see the smile that she was trying to hide.

"Well I had to be sure," Harry said matter-of-factly, before leaning closer to her and adding, "And I love annoying you."

Nikki rolled her eyes, and turned away again, scanning the papers.

From his office doorway, Leo could see Harry move closer to Nikki, and could tell that he was not planning on doing work any time soon.

"Harry," Leo called to him, just as Harry stretched out his hand to annoy Nikki again.

Harry turned at the sound of his name, his expression mirroring that of a young child that had been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Have you finished the Collins report?" Leo asked, knowing that it was still sitting on Harry's desk.

"You mean the one that's due by tomorrow morning?" Harry asked, and Leo nodded. "Of course I have. Finished it ages ago. I'll make sure it's picked up tonight before I leave."

"Good, there are a couple of things getting picked up at about eight I think. It can go with them" Leo said. Sometimes he really did feel like he managed a class full of children. And yet there was that part of him that knew that he wouldn't have it any other way. He doubted that he would still be working as a pathologist if it hadn't been for his colleagues.

"We have a suspected identification for the bodies found by the river by the way," Leo added as Harry made his way back to his desk. Both Harry and Nikki turned around at his words. "Jennifer and Ray Yates. Jennifer's sister will be in later to formally identify them."

Harry nodded slowly, and sat down at his desk, finally taking a report from his to-do pile. Leo had a suspicion that it was the Collins case that was apparently finished and ready to post, but he wasn't going to interfere. Harry was a brilliant pathologist, and his reports were always thorough. He just needed a push in the right direction before he finished them.

The phone in Leo's office began to ring, and he left Harry frowning at the report to answer it.

* * *

Harry sighed heavily as Leo disappeared into his office. The Collin's case was sitting on the top of his work pile, yet when he opened it, he was surprised at how much he still had to do. Why had he left it so late? He was going to be here all night if he had any chance of completing it. If he got in early enough he was sure he could catch the early pick up before Leo noticed that it hadn't been sent today.

Leo appeared from his office with his raincoat on and his case in his hands.

"That was DCI Maddox," he informed them. "There's been another body found, not far from the case this morning actually. Nothing to say that they are related, but still, they need someone there."

Nikki nodded, yet Harry continued to stare at his case notes, trying to work out where to start.

"Harry, you're going to have to do the identification later," Leo said. "As you've finished your report, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Harry leant back in his chair, running his hands through his hair.

"Nikki," he smiled.

"No Harry," Leo said sternly. "Nikki should be at home seeing as she's been working since this morning. You can do the interviews."

"I've been working since this morning too," Harry complained.

"Yes Harry. Your idea of work is considerably different to mine. Anyway, you were on call. You had yesterday off because you were on call. Nikki didn't," Leo smirked. "Her name is Julia Lyons. She'll be here within the hour."

Harry nodded to Leo as he left the office, waiting for the door to shut before resting his elbows on the table, and his head in his hands.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. He knew his attention span was bad, but with no sleep it was going to be even worse.

Nikki reached her hand over her desk towards Harry, still not looking up from her report.

"Pass it over," she said, and when there was no response from Harry she looked up at him. "The Collins case. Pass it over."

Harry did as she asked, and watched as she tucked it underneath the report she was working on, confusion etched on his face.

"You haven't even started it," she told him when she noticed that he was still staring at her. "I'm nearly done with mine, and you have the interviews to do. I'll send them off together before we go."

Harry smiled as he realised what she meant, and moved round to her side of the desk.

"You're the best Nikki," he said, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head as she looked down at her case notes again.

"I know," she replied. "You can cook me dinner later to say thank you."

Harry stood behind her, watching as she scribbled some notes across a separate sheet of paper.

"Harry. Go and make sure the bodies are ready for identification. I can't work with you leaning over my shoulder," sighed Nikki.

"Right," Harry said, moving away from her desk. "Thanks again Nikki. I'll cook your favourite tonight."

* * *

Nikki watched Harry disappear through the door and let out a breath that she didn't realise she had been holding. She hadn't wanted him to leave, but it was true. She couldn't work with him standing over her. Not because he was practically leaning on her shoulder, no concern for her personal space. That she was used to. Harry often stood so close to her that she was sure she could hear his heart beat. She expected it of him. But the smell of his aftershave and the warmth of his body so close to hers made it almost impossible for her to concentrate. And now that she had two reports to finish, she really did need to concentrate.

The case that she was currently reading over was that of a young woman that had been found the previous week. There were certain cases that really got to Nikki. Well, the more she thought about it, they all touched her in some way, but there were some that just didn't make any sense, and that got to her the most.

Watching someone identify a family member was always hard. But what was even worse was not being able to tell them why it had happened. Why their life would never be the same again. And that it was the decision of someone else that the life of their loved one had ended prematurely, for no apparent reason. This was one of those cases.

Nikki could easily tell the parents the details of how their daughter had died. The young woman, Ruby Wilson, had been raped, strangled and stabbed, then left in a deserted side street in London. She was found the following morning by a shop owner who had taken a short cut through the streets to get to work. The pictures of the crime scene showed the blonde Ruby lying in the side street, alone and helpless, her blood painting the street a sickening red. That was the easy bit to explain. She had died from strangulation. And after being stabbed, there was little chance that she could have escaped before her attacker had ended her life.

But why their daughter had ended up dead? That was a much harder question to answer. Her parents had reported her missing the week before when she had failed to turn up for a planned shopping trip, and wasn't answering her phone. She was a twenty four year old secretary. Was never involved in drugs. Had never had a serious boyfriend. There was no apparent reason as to why she had been targeted. And this terrified Nikki. The thought that there were people capable of ending a life just for their amusement. That they could destroy the lives of so many people just for the thrill of killing.

Nikki had to shake herself slightly. It was not her job to find out why it had happened. That was a job for the police. She had to write the report explaining the physical evidence of how she had died, and hope that the police could use the evidence to track whoever was responsible.

But the thought that the person, or people, were still out there, ready to send another body to the mortuary whenever they got bored, with no thought of the lives they were destroying. It made Nikki shiver.

Taking a deep breath, Nikki turned to her computer, ready to write up the report, determined to make sure that it was as detailed as possible for the police to follow. She sighed when she remembered that Harry's report was waiting underneath. From now on she was going to make sure that Harry did his own paperwork.

Yeah, like that was ever going to happen.


	5. Chapter 5  Heartache

**Another chapter that doesn't seem to add much to the story, but I promise there is relevance for it being there :)**

**Thank you again to everyone who is still reading.**

**And a massive thank you to savingthestars, pinkswallowsun, EmmaJ1996, Ann1119, gem.S and Gevaudan (both your reviews :D ) You really do make me smile :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Harry hated this part of his job. He hated it more than dealing with burnt bodies that no longer resembled humans. He hated it more than having to cut open what appeared to be a healthy body, apart from the fact that there was no longer a beating heart. And he hated it more than watching the zip on the black body bag open, revealing another shell of a human being that he had to inspect. Because no matter how bad it seemed, he knew that the body on the slab in front of him, what ever condition it was in, could no longer feel any pain.

The families however. That was another story entirely. For the families, their pain had only just begun. And Harry had to stand and watch, helpless, as they broke down in front of him. Just the thought of having to watch always caused a knot to form in his stomach, threatening to take over. For many, it was only when they saw the body that they could finally accept the truth that they had been trying to hide from since they received the news. Their loved one really was dead. Gone. Forever.

When Julia Lyons appeared at the door, Harry instantly felt the knot in his stomach tighten. She was tall and slim, with shoulder length blonde hair that fell loosely across her blue eyes. Her cheeks were streaked with thin black mascara tracks, temporary paths painted on her skin where her tears had fallen. Harry could instantly see the resemblance between Julia and Jennifer, and this somehow only made it harder. She was alone. There was no doubt that the body was that of her sister. And that meant that it would be Harry that would have to watch her fall apart at the sight of her sister lying lifeless, her life now nothing more than memories.

"Julia," he greeted her with a warm hand shake. "I'm Dr Harry Cunningham. I'm so sorry that you have to be here."

Julia nodded at Harry, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.

"Me too," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Harry opened the door and guided her through to the identification room. Nikki looked up at him briefly as he passed, giving him a weak smile that he knew meant 'good luck.' Nikki hated this part of the job as much as he did, and they both knew that it never got any easier.

Stopping at the door, Harry turned to Julia.

"You ready?" he asked gently, and Julia nodded again, the tears now running freely down her cheeks.

"All we need is for you to confirm that it's them. That's all. I'm sorry, but you can't touch them. We still need to perform some more tests," said Harry as tactfully as he could. Tests. How else could he explain that he had to cut open someone she cared about, just so he could tell her exactly how she had died?

Julia's breath caught in her throat as a single sob escaped, and Harry found her hand grasped around his wrist.

"I'm ready," she whispered, and Harry slowly opened the door, leading her inside.

Listening to her break down was as hard as he had imagined.

* * *

Nikki hit print on the computer and crossed her arms on the table, resting her head on top. Her head was pounding, and her throat hurt every time she swallowed. It felt so long ago since she was tucked up in bed, and she was certain that if she closed her eyes now, she could quite easily fall asleep. Sleep seemed to be the only place that she could forget about the numerous cases that otherwise filled her mind. Sometimes she wasn't so lucky…

It was only the sound of Harry's foot steps that prevented her from falling asleep at her desk, and pushing herself to sit up again she watched as Harry led Julia through the door. She could see Harry place a comforting hand on her shoulder before handing her a small card that she knew had his contact details on. Julia stepped towards Harry and gave him an awkward hug before walking away.

Harry watched her go before stepping back through the door and letting out a long breath, running his hands through his hair.

"A bad one?" Nikki asked as Harry slumped into his seat behind his desk.

"Yeah," he sighed as he rubbed one hand along his chin. "It's definitely Jennifer and Rob Yates.'

Nikki watched as Harry stared at his desk, his mind obviously elsewhere.

"You're reports finished," she smiled, handing it over to him from the top of the printer. "It just needs counter signed, and signed when it's picked up."

"You're brilliant," he smiled back, flicking through the pages that Nikki had just handed over.

"Just read it before you sign it," she said as she slid her other report into an envelope. "Just in case Leo asks what you wrote."

Harry glanced at his watch.

"Perfect timing," he grinned, but Nikki could still see the pain in his eyes. The Wilson case was still in her hand. 'Some cases just get to you' she reminded herself, looking at the envelope. And this was one of those cases for Harry.

"Leo's still not back yet," she told Harry as he was signing the report.

"Hmmm," Harry mumbled before looking up. "I'm sure he won't be long."

"Maybe we should ask him round too," Nikki said. "You could cook for both of us."

Harry laughed.

"Really," he smiled, before his expression changed to that of confusion. "Does that mean we need to wait for him to get back then?"

"You are so impatient," Nikki sighed, rolling her eyes.

Harry opened his mouth to argue back when the door opened and Leo walked in, his hair wet indicating that it was still raining.

"Leo," Harry almost shouted as he noticed him. "Just the man."

Leo stopped just outside his office.

"Should I be worried?" he asked and Nikki giggled.

"I was just – We were just wondering if you would like to join us for dinner?" Harry asked.

"Harry's cooking," added Nikki, and she could see Leo's eyebrows rise slightly.

"Harry is?" he questioned, looking at them both. "Oh no, I'm fine, thank you. Janet is cooking fish tonight. I said I'd stop and get a bottle of wine on the way home."

"So…" Harry said, missing the small wink that Leo gave to Nikki. "That means that we can go?"

"Yeah," Leo smiled. "I'm just waiting for the body to arrive, and then I'll be going too."

"Anything bad?" Nikki asked Leo as he made his way into his office. A death was always bad, and if they had been called out then there was something suspicious. But some crime scenes were easier to cope with than others. Sometimes she could erase the image of the blood from her mind within a few days, and sometimes the glassy stare or gruesome body haunted her sleep, refusing to let her forget.

Leo appeared in the doorway again.

"Another stabbing," he sighed. "I'll know more tomorrow. The body had identification, and she was on the missing persons register, so the police are dealing with it at the moment. I've been at the station for the last two hours making sure that the ID, body and missing person's picture matched up. No doubt we'll get another grieving relative in tomorrow to formally identify her."

Harry shivered slightly.

"Go, really. I'll be out within the hour," Leo said, and Harry grabbed his coat.

"Harry," he added. "The Collins case?"

Harry took both his and Nikki's reports from the desk and handed them over.

"Both done. Both sighed," he said, and turned back to his desk.

Leo gave Nikki a knowing look as he held up the reports, and shook his head slightly. Nikki shrugged and smiled before switching her computer screen off. She was exhausted, and the only thing she wanted to do was crawl into bed and pull the covers above her head. But she had already suggested to Harry that he come round to hers, and she could tell that he was looking forward to showing off in the kitchen.

"Cooking anything nice?" Leo called from his office.

"Spaghetti bolognaise," Harry shouted back. "Nikki's favourite."

Nikki's stomach churned at the thought of food, and her head continued to throb. Putting her symptoms down to lack of sleep, she pushed them to the back of her mind. She could tell Harry was trying to make up for calling her out this morning. She had trouble believing that it was only this morning that they had been by the muddy river, and yet it was nearly seventeen hours ago. A sickening thought entered her mind. Seventeen hours ago, Julia Lyons had no idea her sister was dead…

"Nikki," Harry said, touching her shoulder. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she smiled, trying to sound as cheery as she could. "No trying to kill me on the way home."

"Promise," Harry smiled as he held the door open for her, leaving behind a very confused Leo.

Chapter 5 - Heartache


	6. Chapter 6  Toast

**:D Thank you once again for reading!  
I don't know why the chapter title decided to fall off and land at the bottom of the last chapter... oh well haha**

**A huge thank you to savingthestars, EmmaJ1996, pinkswallowsun, Ann1119, Gevaudan and gem.S for your reviews. Did I mention how amazing you all are? :D**

**I have to admit... this chapter is mainly there just for some Harry/Nikkiness... it will get more scientific in the next chapter, promise :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Nikki couldn't bring herself to admit to Harry that she didn't like his spaghetti bolognaise. He used far too much garlic, and the spaghetti was always stuck together. But she had declared after a few bottles of wine one night that it was her favourite, and Harry hadn't forgotten. She doubted that it was actually safe for Harry to cook anything that night after the amount of alcohol he had consumed, but he had managed it, and they were both so proud that they he hadn't burnt the apartment down that they had decided it was the best thing they had ever eaten. To be fair, everything kind of tasted the same after too much wine.

But now they were both completely sober. And Harry was cooking. Which meant that Nikki had to pretend that it was still her favourite.

She had spent the entire drive home thinking about the new case, Harry's car headlights following her protectively back to her apartment. She had very little physical evidence to work on after only performing an external analysis of the bodies, and she knew that this case _was_ technically Harry's, but the results seemed to swim around her head, intertwining themselves with her reality.

Harry was currently chopping up tomatoes in Nikki's kitchen, and she couldn't help but smile at the look of concentration on his face. He moved around her kitchen without thinking, automatically opening drawers as if it was his own apartment. Noticing that he was being watched, Harry looked up and smiled back.

"Why don't you make some toast?" he asked her.

"Toast?" she repeated. "Why do you want toast with spaghetti?"

"Because, if you're so bored that you have to watch what I'm doing, then you need something to do," he told her, and Nikki shook her head at him. "And even you can make toast," he added.

Nikki grinned as she took the bread from the cupboard and turned on the grill. Placing two pieces of bread under the heat, she turned back to Harry who was still cutting up ingredients.

"You look like you're dissecting that tomato," Nikki pointed out as Harry carefully slid the knife through the soft skin.

She sighed. The mention of dissection only reminded her of the task that she would need to face in the morning.

"Harry," she said quietly. "What do you thin happened? With the Yates case I mean."

"I don't know," Harry answered honestly. "Hopefully we'll get some more answers tomorrow after the PM's. We've only had a few hours to look over the evidence. And technically, this is my case. I just invited you along, remember."

"But why would a healthy couple end up dead, metres apart, by a river after being stabbed?" she asked again, leaning against the kitchen worktop and ignoring his attempt at humour, before continuing. "It's just like the Wilson case. A previously healthy young woman, stabbed, strangled, and left for a passer by to find. It's just not fair."

Harry put down the knife and placed his hands on Nikki's shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Life is not fair Nikki," he said quietly. "We both learnt that a long time ago. All we can hope for is finding that little piece of evidence that could point the police in the right direction."

Nikki looked down at the floor, but Harry lifted her chin so he could look her in the eyes again.

"If anyone is going to find that evidence Nikki, it will be you," he smiled slightly and looked over her head. "Toast."

"Toast?" Nikki murmured, confused."Oh, toast!"

Pulling the tray from under the grill, Nikki sighed into her hands. She could hear Harry approach, and when she looked up she could see him with a slice of toast between his thumb and finger, as if inspecting it.

'Did you toast the bread or cremate it?' he asked playfully.

'I can't do anything right today,' she mumbled, placing her hands in front of her eyes again and leaning against the wall.

'Hey,' said Harry, moving one of her hands from her face so she could see him. 'Did I say I didn't like burnt toast?'

Harry took a bite and smiled at her before looking back at the toast.

'Nah, sorry Niks. It's disgusting,' he grinned.

Nikki smiled slightly at the look on his face as Harry moved towards the fridge, binning the toast on the way, and handed her the bottle of wine as well as two glasses.

'Why don't you pour the wine and get the film ready?' he smiled, his hand still on the bottle of wine although Nikki had a tight grip on it, looking her straight in the eyes. 'I'll finish cooking.'

* * *

'Any film?' Nikki called to Harry who was still in the kitchen. She had managed to pour two glasses of red wine without spilling it on her cream carpet, and was now sitting in front of the sofa.

'Within reason,' came his reply and Nikki smiled as she ran her finger along the collection of films that had built up in her sitting room. She doubted that they were all hers. There were a few that she was sure Harry had brought along and never taken back. They were probably the ones she fell asleep watching. His choice in films was almost as bad as his taste in music.

'Romeo and Juliet,' she called through to Harry. 'Love actually? The Notebook?'

Harry appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and grinned.

'Or there's Lethal Weapon?' she said, trying to sound serious.

'Oh, I couldn't possibly choose,' he laughed as he disappeared into the kitchen again.

Nikki smiled as she placed the 'Lethal Weapon' DVD into the player. To be honest she probably liked chick-flicks even less than Harry did. She loved a happy ending, but there was something so false about the girly films that it made her doubt how realistic the plot lines actually were. She had been a pathologist long enough to know that sometimes, there were no happy endings. And sometimes, you really had to fight to get one.

Harry appeared from the kitchen a few minutes later to find Nikki with her knees tucked up on the sofa, an untouched glass of wine in her hand. The smell of the food made her stomach churn, but she forced a smile as she took the plate from Harry.

'How many times have we watched this one now?' Harry asked casually as he sat down next to her, picking up the remote and hitting play.

'I've lost count,' she replied. It was always the same films that Nikki chose. There was enough romance in the film without being sickeningly sweet for her, and the action and tension to keep Harry amused. Ok, so maybe the tension was gone after you had watched it a million times, but Nikki still believed that the characters had to work for their happiness, and Harry never openly complained.

Ten minutes in to the film, Nikki was still playing with her first mouthful of food. Every time she got it near her mouth, her stomach objected at the smell, and she had to breath steadily until the queasy feeling disappeared again. Harry noticed her wrapping the spaghetti round the fork, her attention entirely on her food and not on the film.

"You ok?" he asked her. "My cooking's not that bad is it?"

"Your cooking is great," she smiled. "I just don't feel so good."

Harry looked at her, and she could see the concern in his eyes.

"You do look pale," he agreed, and took the plate from her lap, placing both plates on the floor by the TV. "If you're not hungry, don't eat."

Nikki gave him a small smile as Harry placed his arm over her shoulder, and pulled her in towards him. She could feel his body heat against her skin as she pulled her sleeves over her hands. He felt comforting, as if he was her personal hot water bottle, heating her up from the inside out with just his smile. It only took her a few minutes before she could feel her eyes go heavy, and slowly she slid along the sofa until her head was on Harry's knee, with her knees still tucked up on the sofa, Harry's hand resting on her shoulder.

Harry automatically started running his hands over her hair in a slow, rhythmic motion, as if soothing her to sleep. Nikki smiled to herself as the noise from the TV began to blur into nothingness, Harry's voice the only thing that made sense.

"I think you have a temperature," she heard him say as she felt a soft hand gently touch her forehead, but she was too tired to answer.

Letting out a deep breath, she drifted off to sleep, the smell of Harry's aftershave and the warmth from his body the only things she needed to forget about the pounding in her head, and instead dream her own happy ending to a film that she was unsure even existed.

Chapter 6 - Toast


	7. Chapter 7  Scrubs

**THANK YOU! Seriously, a massive thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing :D**

**A special big hug and thank you to savingthestars, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, Ann1119, Gevaudan, pinkswallowsun, name-me and Katie55555 - I 3 you all!**

**I'm not too sure about this chapter... the evidence bit of it should be better in the next few chapters, so hopefully it's not too dreadful in this one :)**

**The chapter title fell off the last one again... I'm not going to argue with it though, it can stay there if it wants :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Nikki felt awful. Her head pounded, her throat ached, and just the thought of opening her eyes to a new day made her legs feel like lead. It took her a few minutes to work out where she was, and once she did she could feel her cheeks flush pink. She was in bed, dressed in the same clothes that she had changed into the previous day after the mishap at the river, her bed sheets pulled to her chin. It didn't take her long to work out how she had gotten there, and it was that thought that brought the colour to her cheeks.

Forcing herself to step out of bed, she felt her legs turn to jelly, and she sat down again. She shivered violently, although she could feel the heat on her skin. Managing to stagger to the bathroom, she stepped out of her clothes and into the shower, letting the cold water pummel her burning skin.

Twenty minutes later Nikki was standing in her kitchen, noticing that there was no trace of the night before. Harry had washed the dishes, cleared up the burnt toast crumbs, and thrown the dish cloths into the washing machine. Even the DVD had been replaced back on top of the stack that sat next to the TV, ready for the next time he visited. The thought of breakfast made her stomach protest again, and so she grabbed her car keys and made her way to work.

* * *

When Nikki walked in to the office, Harry was staring at their desks, a hand on his chin as he studied them.

'What _are _you doing?' Nikki asked with a laugh as she placed her bag on Harry's desk, draping her scarf over his chair.

'I knew it,' he said, throwing his hands to the side. 'I just knew it.'

'Sorry, you've completely lost me Harry,' Nikki said as she sat down at Harry's desk and logged into the computer.

'I have been studying our desks since I've got in-' he began.

'Can't have been very long then,' Nikki smiled without looking at him.

Harry raised his eyes at her before continuing. 'You know what I've found?' he asked her.

Nikki looked up at him. 'What have you found Harry?'

'Nothing,' he stated. 'There is absolutely no difference in our desks.'

'Apart from the fact that yours has more paperwork that needs completed,' Nikki pointed out.

'Well, yes,' Harry said looking at the daunting stack of papers that were still to be finished. 'As well as the fact that there is still mud on the edge of mine that I missed. But that's not the point. If our basic desks are the same, which they are, _why _do you insist on sitting at mine?'

Nikki shrugged and turned back to the computer screen. She had never really thought about it before. Maybe it was the familiarity of sitting there, with Harry's belongings scattered across the desk, mixing in with hers. Maybe it was the fact that his desk faced the opposite direction, and she could see what was going on better. Or maybe it was the fact that when she sat at his desk she could smell his aftershave, and could almost imagine him standing next to her, even if he was elsewhere. Not that she was going to tell Harry that of course.

'You're computers quicker I suppose,' she smiled at him. 'Probably because there are far less files on it than mine. That's what happens when you play Solitaire instead of writing your reports.'

Harry laughed and narrowed his eyes as if studying Nikki.

"You still look pale," he stated, reaching out a hand to touch her forehead. "And you're burning up. Why did you come in today?"

"I'm fine Harry, stop worrying," she tried to smile, even though the pressure behind her eyes made it feel like her head was about to explode. "Much better after some sleep. Sorry for last night, I couldn't have been much company."

"No problem," Harry smiled. "It just means I managed to watch the entire film without you talking through it. There's a first for everything."

Nikki grinned, and felt her head spin. Closing her eyes tightly she looked away from Harry, resting her head on her hand.

"Go home," Harry whispered in her ear. "We can manage."

Nikki opened her eyes again and could see the concern on his face.

"Even you know that that's not true today," she said. "We both have the PM's for the Yates to finish, and Leo has to start on the body that was found yesterday. I'm fine. Really."

Harry gave her a look and Nikki knew that he didn't believe a word she was saying, but she also knew that he would give in eventually.

"Let's get to work then," he sighed, flicking her hair on his way out the door.

* * *

The bodies of Ray and Jennifer Yates lay on the slab in the cutting room just as they had the day before. Yet when Harry looked at Jennifer, the image of Julia collapsing into his arms was all that he could see. Thanking no one in particular that it was Nikki that was performing the PM on Jennifer rather then him, he made his way towards the body of Ray Yates. Julia had been understandably upset at the sight of Ray's body, but the distraught look in her eyes that had been present when she had looked at Jennifer had disappeared, an entirely new emotion taking its place that Harry couldn't quite understand.

The sound of Nikki entering the cutting room made him look up.

"Maddox has just arrived again," she said, as she pulled on her white surgical gloves. "He wants to witness the-" she stopped as her sight fell on Harry, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Oh no," she sighed, and Harry could see her trying to hide the smile that was playing on her lips. "Harry, please tell me that I'm seeing things."

"What?" Harry replied, lifting his hands up and looking himself over.

Nikki groaned as she made her way towards Harry.

"As I was saying. DCI Maddox is here to watch the PM's again," she said, standing about a foot from Harry. "And _you. You _are going to be doing it in _those!_"

"What is wrong with these?" Harry asked innocently, straightening the sleeves on his canary yellow scrubs.

"Some things should be buried and never seen again," Nikki giggled as she turned towards the observatory balcony.

"Well, I thought they should make a reappearance," Harry said simply before leaning in close to Nikki and whispering "You know you love them really."

"Hmmm," she mumbled, screwing up her nose as she stared at them again. "If you say so."

A gravelly, unfamiliar voice echoed through the cutting room, making both Harry and Nikki look back to the balcony.

"I assume that these are the bodies from yesterday," Maddox growled, his demeanour resembling that of a bulldog, with his thick neck and muscular shoulders.

Harry's smile disappeared, Maddox's glare seeming to burn through him, before nodding in his direction.

"These are the confirmed bodies of Ray and Jennifer Yates, twenty nine, and twenty seven in age respectively," Harry stated, moving towards the body of Ray before addressing Maddox again. "If you're ready, we'll begin."

Maddox nodded slowly, his arms folded tightly across his body just as he had done before.

Both Harry and Nikki reached for a small scalpel, their fingers brushing together slightly as they did so, but neither of them seemed to notice. They were so used to sharing their personal space now that they took it as second nature.

"The body of Ray Yates has no new obvious signs of damage to the ones that were identified yesterday," Harry stated for Maddox's benefit more than anything else. Looking at the observatory balcony Harry continued. "That is, we haven't found any other injuries that we could have missed."

Maddox simply rolled his eyes, as if Harry was pointing out the obvious. Harry sighed slightly. Police officers were all the same these days, thinking they knew best.

"The same can be said for the body of Jennifer Yates," Nikki added, noticing the annoyance on Harry's features.

Harry glanced at her before raising his hand, the small silver blade glinting in the artificial light of the cutting room.

"Let's begin then," he tried to smile, but he knew that Nikki would see through him. He couldn't even convince himself that this case hadn't touched a nerve. His thoughts kept travelling back to Julia, and the pain that he had seen in her eyes.

Cutting through the skin of Ray Yates, from the top of the chest to the navel, Harry tried to block out everything else. This was just another case. Another body. Another part of his job.

Both Harry and Nikki worked in silence for the first few minutes of the process, each of them slowly inspecting and dissecting separate organs.

"The heart seems intact," Nikki spoke first as she placed the organ into a dish beside her.

"Same can't be said for this one," Harry sighed. "There is a clear incision to the right side of the heart, and the aorta looks like it has been partly severed."

Both fell once again into concentrated silence as they continued to inspect the bodies, only speaking once another organ had been studied.

"Lungs look clear. No signs that she was a smoker…"

"Liver is intact. No signs that he was a heavy drinker…"

"Stomach contents looks to be rice, chicken and," Harry sniffed the metal dish that contained the contents of Ray Yates' stomach before looking at Nikki. "Red wine."

Nikki nodded slightly before looking back at the balcony, a metal dish identical to the one that Harry was holding in her hands.

"Stomach contents of Jennifer Yates' resembles rice, chicken and red wine," she sighed. "It looks like they both ate together. And no longer than two hours before their death."

"So they ate together. Then travelled to a river, without jackets on, in the middle of the night, in the rain…and were killed." Harry muttered mainly to himself, as if trying to fit the pieces together.

"All vital organs belonging to Jennifer Yates appear to be intact," Nikki stated. "The head wound looks superficial, and there does not seem to be any swelling of the brain."

Harry watched as Nikki leant on the edge of the sink, closing her eyes tightly.

"You ok?" he asked worryingly. "I can finish here if you like."

"I'm fine," Nikki smiled as she moved back to the body, but Harry could see the colour had all but gone from her cheeks.

"Most of the vital organs also seem intact in Ray Yates," Harry continued, but he couldn't help but glance over at Nikki. "The spinal chord has been severed between the T4 and T5 vertebrae which would have ultimately paralysed him, making it easier for someone to have stabbed him again. The left lung has been punctured, as well as the heart. Cause of death, massive blood loss due to a partly severed aorta."

Harry turned back to Nikki who seemed to be staring at nothing in particular.

"Nikki?" he said quietly, trying to catch her attention.

"Cause of death, massive blood loss due to the radial artery on both wrists being severed," she said, not taking her eyes off the body in front of her.

Harry turned towards the balcony.

"You have a lot to work on," he said to Maddox, who nodded. "Both Jennifer and Ray Yates died through unnatural causes. Our full reports will be ready in a few days after the results from the lab are back."

"Harry," Nikki whispered, and Harry turned around immediately. He could see the hurt in her eyes as she looked at the swollen features of the blonde woman in front of her.

"Jennifer was pregnant."

Chapter 7 - Scrubs


	8. Chapter 8  Carrots

**Sorry that I didn't update yesterday. I had accounting coursework... I know, sounds so fun...**

**Anyways, MASSIVE thank you to everyone reading, but an even BIGGER thank you to:**

**savingthestars, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, Thyqua, Lizziginne, pinkswallowsun, Gevaudan and HNfan1992 for your reviews. You really do make me smile :D !**

**I feel like this is going really slowly, and there seems to be a new chapter ever time that there is another character introduced. I promise, this is going somewhere :)**

**xXx**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 8 - Carrots

Leo watched as his two younger colleagues entered the offices, both looking less than happy. He knew that performing a PM was never a nice experience, even if it was their job. Each of them had their own techniques that they seemed to use in order to look at the body in front of them and see just that… a body. It was only after the post mortems were completed that they could evaluate the results, piece together the puzzle, and look deeper into the lives that they once had.

He watched as Nikki sat at Harry's desk, immediately resting her head on her hands. Harry stood at the printer that was at the side of the desks, and Leo could see that his eyes were fixed entirely on Nikki. He couldn't help but notice that this seemed to be a daily habit of Harry's. He seemed to always find a reason to watch her.

Coming to the conclusion that if both of his colleagues were in his line of sight, the cutting room would be free, Leo made his way out of his office and caught part of their conversation.

"Why would she be drinking if she knew she was pregnant?" Nikki was saying, and Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe she didn't know. You did say it was early on. And it wasn't obvious from the external analysis," Harry replied.

"Hmmm," Nikki sighed. "This whole thing doesn't make sense. Jennifer couldn't have killed herself."

"Neither could Ray," Harry added. "I think it's pretty difficult to stab yourself in the back."

Leo stopped in front of the desks and Harry raised his head in acknowledgement.

"Maddox is going to be so pleased," Harry joked. "This isn't a simple case anyway. They were definitely murdered. But there doesn't seem to be a motive as yet as to why they ended up face down by a river."

"Like there was no motive when Ruby Wilson was murdered," added Nikki.

"Still got a headache?" Leo asked Nikki who still had he head in her hands.

Nikki looked up at him and nodded slightly.

"It's no wonder really," Nikki smiled. "I blame Harry entirely. Those scrubs would give anyone a headache."

"You don't mean _those _scrubs. Do you?" Leo asked hesitantly.

Nikki nodded slowly and Leo groaned.

"Oh Harry, I thought they were long gone," Leo chuckled as Harry grinned.

"Hmmm," Nikki mumbled. "I thought I'd hidden them pretty well."

"Sorry," Harry asked, turning towards Nikki and Leo laughed.

"Nothing," Nikki said keeping her eyes focused on her report, and Leo caught the smile that she was trying to hide.

"Well I'm going to do the PM on the body that was found yesterday. Young woman, suspected strangulation. But there is a stab wound too. Body was found by some bushes near a field not too far away," Leo noticed that he was rambling, and stopped himself. "What a glamorous job we have," he added, trying to lighten the mood. He could tell that the other two were having a hard morning.

Nikki stared at Leo, a frown on her face.

"Do you mind if I watch?" she asked, and Leo shook his head.

"Of course not," he replied. "I'll go prepare. It'll be about ten minutes."

* * *

Nikki moved to her own desk and opened the top drawer, taking out the report notes that lay on top. She had looked though them so often that she knew exactly what they said, and yet the picture of Ruby Wilson that was attached to the notes sent a shiver down Nikki's spine. The crimson blood soaked her blonde hair, and her skin was so paper white that the contrast was startling. Leo's words swam round her head of the new case… 'Strangulation...' 'Stab wound…' 'Missing person…'

A loud buzzing interrupted Nikki's thoughts, and her head objected to the noise. Squeezing her eyes shut, she heard Harry walk past her towards the door, followed by quiet conversation in the distance that gradually became louder. Looking up from the report Nikki could see Harry make his way across the office, a tall, dark haired figure following him.

"Nikki," Harry said as he stopped at her desk. "This is Detective Shaw. He's investigating the case that Leo was called to yesterday."

"Hi," Nikki smiled, extending her hand for Shaw to take. He grasped her hand tightly and smiled at her, his blue eyes glistening in the light.

His smile was soft and genuine, the slight wrinkles at his eyes giving his features a character suggesting that he was older than his years.

"I thought DCI Maddox was investigating the case," Nikki asked, and Shaw nodded.

"He was," he said. "But he decided that he wanted to focus on the other investigation. The two bodies by the river. He has a lot going on at the moment, so I offered to take over this case."

"Well if we can assist you in any way, just let us know," said Harry, and Shaw nodded again.

"Would it be possible to witness the PM?" asked Shaw.

"Sure," Harry said. "Nikki was going to sit in anyway. I'm sure she won't mind if you go with her."

Nikki shook her head and stood up, steadying herself as the room spun around her.

"Leo should be ready soon," she managed to smile at Shaw. "We can head through now. The observatory balcony is just through here."

Nikki moved to walk to the balcony, and Harry touched her arm on the way past, giving her a small wink. If it was any other man, Nikki would shake off this gesture as an attempt as being flirtatious, but with Harry, it felt almost reassuring.

When Nikki and Detective Shaw entered the balcony, Leo was pulling on a pair of white surgical gloves, the body waiting on the slab at the other end of the fitting room. He looked up at the balcony and Nikki could see the confusion on his features at the presence of someone other than herself.

Pushing the small button on the wall, Nikki spoke to Leo, hearing her words echo through the cutting room as she explained to Leo that Shaw had taken over for Maddox. Leo nodded and introduced himself through the glass, before turning back to the body.

Looking at the body for the first time, Nikki could see the resemblance between Ruby Wilson and the body on the slab immediately. The woman's long blonde hair lay loosely at her sides, her soft pale lips now almost white. She looked young, no more than twenty five. Her frame was small and slim, and although she couldn't see her eyes from the balcony, she could almost imagine the vacant, haunting stare that resembled Ruby's. She doubted that the woman was related to Ruby Wilson in any way, yet there was something too similar about them, and it made Nikki feel uneasy.

Nikki could see Leo's mouth moving, and yet she couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. Why was the Wilson case so important to her? She had sent off her report to the coroner, there was little else she could do for her. And yet the fact that she couldn't do more to help find the person responsible infuriated her. There had to be more that she could do.

There was a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Nikki snapped back to reality. Shaw smiled at her and directed his eyes to the cutting room.

"Shall we begin?" Leo asked, and Nikki nodded. She knew for a fact that this was going to be like the post mortem that she had completed for Ruby Wilson, but this time all she could do was sit and watch. Another innocent life ended for the amusement of some foul, twisted individual. She felt sick at the thought, and tried to focus on what was in front of her. It took her a few moments to realise that Shaw's hand was still on her shoulder, and she involuntarily shrugged away from the warmth.

* * *

Harry sat at his desk, twisting his pen between his fingers, staring at the empty chair opposite him. He knew that he had numerous reports to finish, and yet he couldn't concentrate. He had already straightened up the papers on both his and Nikki's desks, as well as placing the numerous pens that scattered her desk back into the mug that sat in the corner, in an attempt to distract himself from the work he had to do. He couldn't stand being in the office on his own, even though he knew that he should be taking advantage of the quiet time. It didn't happen very often.

At the sound of the door opening, Harry's head spun round as Leo made his way back into the office.

"Oh," said Harry, not realising that he had said it out loud.

"I love your company too," chuckled Leo at the look of disappointment on Harry's face.

Harry turned back to his desk, pretending to read through a report whilst Leo made his way to his office.

"Do you know what's wrong with Nikki?" Leo asked on his way past. "She seems unwell."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Probably from yesterday."

"Are you going to tell me what happened, or do I need to continue to speculate?" Leo probed, and Harry sighed. It was probably easier to tell him.

"I kind of, accidently made her fall in the river…" Harry trailed off.

"You what?" Leo answered, startled. "So that's why she was soaked when you both got in."

"Hey, it's not all bad," Harry tried to reason. "She found the murder weapon."

"Yeah," Leo said. "As well as who knows what else! It's not exactly a clean environment, is it Harry?"

"I know, I know," Harry sighed again. "I didn't mean it. It wasn't as if I pushed her in."

Leo shook his head, and went back to his office, just as the door opened again and Nikki and Detective Shaw made their way into the office. Harry could see immediately the sorrow in Nikki's eyes, and that Shaw was following her closely, his hand hovering above her arm. After a quick conversation, Shaw turned to his mobile as it began to ring and left the room.

Nikki made her way to Harry and sunk behind her desk.

"He'll be back tomorrow," she informed him. "He had to get back to the station."

Harry watched her closely as she stared at her desk, so many emotions evident across her features.

"What's up?" Harry asked gently.

"The PM that Leo just performed," she started before looking up at Harry. "It has to be related to the Wilson case from last week. They were almost identical. Both were reported missing, both had been stabbed, both were strangled. They even looked similar!"

"Wait until the tox reports get back," Harry said. "You'll know more then."

Nikki nodded, closing her eyes again. Harry knew that Nikki could get emotionally involved in cases much quicker than he could, and was hoping that this wasn't one of them. If it was, he could bet that she would spend more time at work than was healthy, and that meant less movie nights.

Leo appeared from his office and Harry could see him looking Nikki over.

"You look terrible," he stated, and Nikki raised her eyebrows.

"Thanks," she smirked. "You really know how to make a girl feel good."

"You should go home," Leo continued as he made his way to the printer.

"I'm fine," she sighed, opening her report.

"I'll drive you if you want," Harry added, watching her roll her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said more forcefully.

"We can finish off here. There's not much to do," said Leo.

"I'm fine"' Nikki protested again. "I- I- I'm going to be sick."

Harry watched as Nikki pushed away from the desk and ran towards the bathroom, he hand clasped over her mouth.

"You should go check on her," Leo frowned as Harry stood up, watching Nikki disappear around the corner.

Harry leant against the door of the bathroom, his head against the doorframe.

"Do you need me to hold your hair?" he muttered through the door.

"No thanks," Nikki replied quietly.

Harry sighed. He couldn't help but feel like this was his fault. He knew that Nikki had been unwell when he had cooked her dinner, and yet he hadn't stopped her from going into work the next day.

"Any carrots?" Harry asked through the door again, knowing for a fact that she hadn't eaten in nearly a day.

"What are you talking about," Nikki said confused.

"Oh come on, there are always carrots when you're sick," Harry smirked.

"You're disgusting," Nikki laughed slightly. "I'd rather not inspect it if that's ok with you."

"Suit yourself," Harry smiled.

He could hear the sink running from the bathroom and the lock click open. Nikki appeared in the doorway, her eyes puffy and her hands shaking slightly.

"And you should know that it is impossible for there to _always _be carrots," she smiled slightly. "You do actually analyse stomach contents as part of a PM, don't you?"

"No matter what your stomach content is, you always throw up carrots. Fact," Harry grinned.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Some pathologist you are."

"Are you ok?" he asked seriously and Nikki nodded, running a hand over her forehead.

"I'll be fine. Really," she said.

"You pulling a sicky and going home then?" he asked her, secretly hoping that she would say yes just so he could have the excuse of driving her home.

"I've got too much work to do," she answered. "I want to have a look at the Wilson case and the PM from this morning. I want to be sure there's a link before I phone Detective Shaw."

"Work can wait," Harry tried to reason, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"I'm fine," Nikki repeated, stepping close to Harry as she did so, and he could feel her warm breath on his neck. "Honest."

Harry watched as Nikki walked back to her desk and shook his head. She was anything but fine, but he knew that there was no point in arguing. When Nikki had decided on something, there was no way that he could change her mind, no matter how hard he tried.

"Stubborn cow," he muttered and heard Nikki giggle.

* * *

**I think I managed to glue the title to the top this time :D**


	9. Chapter 9  Told You So

**Thank you once again to everyone who is reading :D**

**A huge, massive, gigantic THANK YOU to pinkswallowsun, Gevaudan, savingthestars, Diggs, gem.S, EmmaJ1996 and Lizziginne for your reviews. I really do love you all!**

**Hopefully it'll start to move a little quicker after this one :) This one is a little longer too...**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 9 – Told You So

It wasn't yet three o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was making a feeble attempt at an appearance through the blanket of grey that seemed to cloak most of London. Inside the Lyell Centre, Harry continued to twist his pen through his fingers, his half finished report still on his computer screen. It had been a long day, and he knew that his report had to be finished before he went, but his mind kept wondering back to the female pathologist who was currently in the conference room with Leo.

Too many times had Harry woke up in the morning with a smile on his lips, and no idea why it was there. It was only when he got to work and could see the blonde curls belonging to his colleague sitting at his desk that he could remember his dreams from the previous night, and the reason for his smile.

It was only the dreadful noise from the phone on his desk that kept Harry fixed on reality, stopping his mind from wondering off in a different direction completely. A path that he knew he should not follow when at work. Not with her so close. Those thoughts had to be kept for when he was alone. And when he was asleep. Somewhere that he could control them and keep them with him, forming them into his own dream 'reality'.

"Pathology department," he mumbled into the phone, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"Dr Cunningham," the cheery voice greeted him. "It's Detective Shaw. Is Professor Dalton around? It's about the Hall case."

"The what case?" Harry asked without thinking. He knew that it wasn't any of his business, but he couldn't seem to match the name with a PM report. He usually knew something about every PM that was performed at the Lyell, even if it wasn't his case.

"We have an identification for the body that was found yesterday," Shaw continued. "Her name is Rebecca Hall. I was wanting to talk to Professor Dalton about her mother coming to formally identify her. There's no doubt that it's her though I'm afraid."

"Right," Harry hesitated, regretting that he had asked. "I'll check if he is free."

Harry walked to the conference room, and looked round the door. Both Leo and Nikki were looking at the screen in front of them, the pictures of both Ruby Wilson and the body of who he now knew to be Rebecca Hall side by side.

"Leo," he said, trying to catch his attention. "Sorry. Phone call. It's Shaw."

Leo nodded and placed a comforting hand on Nikki's shoulder before leaving to answer the call.

Nikki didn't take her eyes off the screen even when Harry sat next to her in the chair that Leo had just left. He didn't speak, just sat and watched her, letting her choose to start the conversation if she wished.

"They have to be related," Nikki spoke eventually, still not looking away from the screen. "Both Ruby and Rebecca had been strangled. The wounds on the neck were almost identical. Both had a single stab wound to the abdomen. They would have bled to death if they hadn't been strangled first. They were found nearly fifty miles apart and the murder weapon was different, but I know that they are related."

Nikki eventually turned to Harry.

"And both were left alone. Dumped. For someone to find," Nikki almost whispered, and he could see the tears in her eyes. "They were innocent Harry. Completely innocent."

Harry stood and put a comforting arm around Nikki's shoulders, pulling her in tight and letting her rest her head on his chest. She didn't usually get as emotional over a case like this one, and he put it down to the fact that she wasn't feeling well. He would definitely need to keep an eye on her.

* * *

Harry couldn't help but watch Nikki as she sat at his desk. Her eyes were no longer red, but he could tell that she was still thinking about the cases.

"You look exhausted," Harry said, and Nikki rolled her eyes. "Please let me drive you home."

"Harry, you only want me to go home so you can get out of doing your report. Again," Nikki replied, not taking her eyes off the papers on her desk.

Leo appeared from his office with a report open in his hands.

"Harry, have you got your tox results back from the lab yet?" he asked before looking up and adding. "You really should be at home Nikki."

Harry could tell that Nikki was ignoring him, her eyes narrowing at the concerning words from Leo.

"Nope, not yet," Harry replied. "I'll chase them up if they're not here by the end of the day."

"Good," Leo said, looking back at his notes. "Because Maddox has been on the phone again wanting to know if we've found anything new. I don't think he believed me when I said that we would phone _him _if we did find anything."

"I'm guessing Shaw will be in soon too then. For the identification," Harry asked.

"I'm guessing so," Leo nodded. "He doesn't seem quite so pushy though. I'm sure he'll be more reasonable to talk to."

"I think he had a thing for Nikki," Harry laughed, hoping to catch her attention. To be honest, Harry couldn't remember the last time there was a detective involved who didn't seem to have a soft spot for his female colleague. And it didn't seem to matter if they were married or single, she could wrap them round her little finger with a bat of her eyelids. Not that she did so intentionally. He hoped.

"Oi, Casper," he called in Nikki's direction when she did not react to his teasing. "Are you ignoring me?"

"How did you guess?" she mumbled back. Harry sighed.

"There is definitely something wrong with you," he told her. "You don't usually let me annoy you so easily."

"I'm fine Harry, just _trying _to concentrate," she said again, not looking up.

"You are anything but fine," Harry continued.

"Maybe it was your cooking," she smirked, looking up at Harry. Harry could feel the relief wash over him, and yet he wasn't sure why. If Nikki could have a light hearted conversation with him, then there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her. Leo was right, she must have caught a bug after falling in the river. And it was in that split second, when the small smile twitched on her pink lips, that Harry promised himself he would keep her safe from now on. No matter what.

"Hey," he retorted, trying to sound serious. "If it was my cooking then we'd both be throwing up, thank you very much."

Leo chuckled, and Harry realised that he was still standing at the entrance to his office.

"Please go home, and take him with you. He's driving me mad today," Leo smirked.

Nikki smiled at Leo, but Harry noticed it catch on her lips, no where near reaching her eyes.

"I want to have a look at the notes from the PM's this morning first," said Nikki. "I know the tox reports aren't back yet, but I think we may have missed something at the scene. I just want to look over the photos again."

Looking Harry in the eyes, she smiled again, and Harry could feel his heart beat quicken. Why was he so weak around her?

"Honestly, both of you. I'm fine," she sighed as she pushed her chair away from her desk.

'I beg to differ,' Harry smirked as she stood up.

Harry watched as Nikki closed her eyes, holding a hand to the side of her head. He could see the little colour that was left in her cheeks disappear as she swayed on the spot. Without thinking Harry moved from his desk, catching Nikki as she fainted into his arms, her blonde hair falling over the side of his arm.

As Harry scooped her up, one arm under her knees, the other holding her close to his chest, Leo stepped away from his office, letting Harry pass by.

'Lay her on the sofa,' Leo sighed. 'Let her sleep, it's quieter in there. You can take her home when she wakes up. Should give you enough time to finish your report.'

Harry softly placed Nikki on the sofa in Leo's office, knowing that it wasn't the first time that she had slept there, and doubting that it would be the last. As he placed his hand on her forehead, he could feel the heat instantly. Nikki's eyes fluttered open, and he couldn't help the grin that he knew was on his face.

'I told you so,' he smirked before throwing a blanket over her. 'Now sleep. I'll take you home as soon as I'm finished.'

Nikki nodded and fell asleep again instantly.

* * *

"Report. Type. Now," Leo said, his eyes moving from Harry to the computer screen and back again. "She is asleep. You can take her home as soon as you've finished. I'm going to meet Rebecca Hall's mother. Shaw is bringing her in to identify her."

Harry nodded and watched as Leo left, before looking back at the computer screen.

"Just write it, and you can go home," he told himself. "You have the notes in front of you, you idiot. You should have done this days ago."

After half an hour of typing, his fingers moving rapidly across the keys, Harry hit print and waited for his report to materialise.

Just as he was reaching for it, his mobile began to ring in his pocket.

"Harry Cunningham," he said, not recognising the number on the screen.

"Harry," the voice on the other end cried. "I didn't know who else to call. It's Julia. Julia Lyons."

"Julia," Harry answered. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"No," Julia whispered back. "It's just – I can't stop thinking about her. About Jennifer. And how she looked when I saw her de- When I saw her there. I just need someone to talk to, and I didn't know who else to call."

Harry glanced at his watch.

"It's no problem. Really. What do you need to talk about?" he asked her gently.

"Well. It's just- do you think that it hurt? I mean, do you think that she was in pain before she-?" Julia stammered.

"Julia," Harry interrupted. "It was my colleague that performed the PM on your sister, but from the report notes, it looks like she would have died very quickly. I'm sorry, there's not much I can say that will make this any easier."

"I should have been there for her," Julia sobbed. "She was my little sister!"

"It wasn't your fault Julia. There was nothing you could have done," Harry said. "We're still looking for evidence that could explain what happened. I promise we'll look until we know there is nothing else to find."

Harry could hear her sniffing, and a quiet 'OK' escape down the phone.

"Harry," she breathed. "You wouldn't want to go for a drink tonight, would you?" she asked hesitantly.

Harry glanced in the direction of Leo's office, and sighed slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Julia stuttered. "That was highly inappropriate of me. I'm really sorry."

"No, no," Harry replied quickly. "Don't be sorry. It's just not a good day, that's all. What about tomorrow? Sevenish, at the pub down the road from the Lyell?"

The words had left Harry's mouth before he realised, and he instantly questioned whether he regretted offering or not.

"Sure," Julia sniffed. "Thanks Harry. For everything. See you tomorrow."

The line went dead, and Harry sat in silence, his eyes fixed on the door to Leo's office, his mind entirely focused on the sleeping pathologist inside.

He had only offered to go to the pub with Julia because she was upset. She needed someone to talk to. He didn't even know her. And he wasn't planning on changing that.

* * *

"Hey, home time," Harry whispered as he shook Nikki's shoulder to wake her.

Nikki blinked open her eyes and smiled up at him.

"Already?" she said looking startled. "But I've done nothing all day."

"Now there's a first," Harry chuckled. "You've only performed a PM, written your report that is due next week, and gone over the evidence in the conference room with Leo. That's nothing at all. Now come on, I'm not carrying you to your car."

Nikki threw back the blanket and sat on the edge of the sofa, rubbing her eyes.

"Some night in shining armour you are," she mumbled and Harry tried to hide the smile from his lips.

Stepping out into the cold winter's evening, Harry placed a protective arm around Nikki's shoulders as they made their way to the car park, steadying her as she walked.

"You're not driving,' said Harry as Nikki made her way to the driver's side of her car. Taking her by the shoulders, he guided her to the passenger side. 'You're far too tired to drive."

"I'm not that-" she began tiredly but her words were lost as she stepped into the car yawning.

"Yeah, I believe you," Harry smiled.

Harry stepped into the driver's seat, dropping the keys under the car as he did so. Sighing loudly he climbed back out in search for the keys. Eventually he resided to the fact that there was no graceful way to retrieve the keys, and knelt down to look under the car.

By the time he had climbed back in Nikki had her head rested against the window, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy.

Harry smiled on the inside at the fact that she had missed him climbing under her car. No doubt it would have amused her greatly, even if Harry could now feel where the gravel had dug into his knees.

Still feeling proud that he had managed to collect the keys without waking Nikki, saving himself from embarrassment as he did so, he switched on her car and adjusted the seat. Turning the volume down on the radio, he swung the car into reverse. There was a loud thud, followed by a screech as Harry felt the car stop as it hit something behind him. Swearing loudly he drove forward again, and looking in the window could see the low yellow bollard that separated the spaces in the car park. Knowing that the bumper would inevitably now have a yellow dent in it, he glanced at Nikki who hadn't moved since he had got in the car.

Smiling to himself he pulled out of the space, without hitting the bollard this time, and made his way out of the car park.

'You're paying for that Cunningham,' sighed Nikki, and Harry couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips as Nikki tried not to smile, her head still resting against the window.


	10. Chapter 10  Voicemail

**Sorry this one took longer. Had loads of coursework, then tried to upload it yesterday and it wouldn't work...  
But it did this time :D**

**Thank you! To everyone reading!**

**And to Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, pinkswallowsun, Diggs, Gevaudan, savingthestars, hoplesslyhalfhearted and dinabar - you are MORE than amazing. Thank you so much! :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 10 - Voicemail

Nikki curled up in her bed sheets, the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck radiating through her body. She could feel his soft fingers run own her spine, and sunk further into the mattress, willing him to move closer. He chuckled into her ear, and whispered her name, the smell of his aftershave filling all her senses as she smiled into the darkness.

"Nikki," she heard him speak again as if in the distance, and the warmth of his breath disappeared.

"Nikki," the voice was closer this time, and she could hear the click of her bedroom door open.

Sighing heavily, Nikki forced herself to open her eyes to the reality of her bedroom, and the very real Harry that was now standing in her doorway.

"Morning," he smiled at her, and she could feel her lips smile automatically in response.

Sitting up, she leant against the headboard as Harry approached, a tray in his hands.

"I cooked you breakfast," he announced as he sat on the edge of her bed, placing the tray on her knee. "This will make you feel better, promise."

Nikki stared at the contents of the bowl in front of her which appeared to be a rather unusual green coloured liquid.

"What is it?" she asked, stirring the contents with her spoon.

"Harry soup," Harry answered matter-of-factly.

"Hmmm," she mumbled. "I can't see you in my soup."

"Ok smart arse. Harry's soup then," he grinned at her. "It's chicken and broccoli. I think."

"Sure it is," Nikki giggled, letting the contents run off her spoon and plop back into the bowl.

"Hey, shut up and eat up," Harry warned, trying to look serious, but Nikki knew that he was anything but. "I need to go to work."

"Work?" Nikki repeated looking at him with wide eyes. "What time is it? I'm going to be late."

"_You _are not going in to work today," Harry warned as he stood up from her bed and placed a hand on her forehead. "I think you've cooled down a bit though."

"I feel loads better," Nikki answered, smiling at the contact of his skin against hers, even though it was far less than in her dream.

"And you'll feel even better after Harry's soup. Now eat," Harry said as he made his way to her bedroom door. "I'll ring you later."

"Bye," Nikki whispered as he shut the door, finally tasting the soup that Harry had prepared for her.

The thick green liquid hardly looked appetising, but when she tasted it she could feel it warm her throat. Maybe Harry wasn't as bad at cooking as she thought. And he was right. It did make her feel better. But she couldn't quite work out if it was the soup, or Harry's presence that caused the warmth to consume her.

* * *

"Thanks. Will you send them up with Zak?" Harry spoke into the phone receiver. He waited for the reply before adding a quick "Bye" and hanging up. Kicking his feet onto his desk he leant back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

"Leo, tox reports are in!" he shouted through the building in the direction of Leo's office.

The phone on his desk instantly began to ring again, and lifting his feet from the desk he reached for it.

"Pathology," he answered automatically.

"If you can't be bothered getting off your backside to walk the few yards to my office, please pick up the phone rather than yelling through the building," Leo said seriously, but Harry could tell that Leo was smiling.

"Well Leo," Harry grinned. "If you can't be bothered to walk the few yards out of your office rather than phoning me, then you are just as bad."

Leo chuckled. "Fair point. Thanks for letting me know anyway. Be sure to let Nikki know when she's back, will you."

"Sure," Harry nodded. "I'm going to stop off at hers on the way home tonight to make sure she's ok."

"Good," Leo answered simply before adding "Now can you do some work today please?" and hanging up.

Harry placed the phone back and threw his feet onto the table again, resting his hands on the back of his neck, waiting for Zak to arrive with the results.

Although he had only been in work for half an hour, Harry's eyes were heavy and he knew that he would have to concentrate hard today so he wouldn't fall asleep. He had hardly slept all night, and had gotten up over an hour early this morning to get to Nikki's before work.

Stopping off at a 24 hour spar shop on the way, he had bought some ingredients from a particularly bored looking cashier, and headed to Nikki's. Using her spare key that was now permanently attached to the same key ring as his car key, he had let himself in to her apartment and headed straight for the kitchen. To be completely honest, he hadn't a clue what he was doing with the ingredients that he had just purchased, but after three attempts, he managed to make something that tasted edible, although it looked like green wallpaper paste.

Nikki was looking better than yesterday, and her temperature had definitely dropped. He smiled as he remembered the look on her face when she had stared at the contents of the bowl he had passed her, scrunching her nose up. He loved when she did that. She looked so childish.

"Tox reports," Zak announced, dropping a file onto the desk in front of Harry.

"Yey," Harry sighed as he once again took his feet off the table. "Just what I wanted."

Zak laughed.

"You sound as enthusiastic as ever," Zak said as he made his way towards the locker room.

"Ah ha," Harry agreed lazily as he opened the file, the results of Ray Yates toxicology reports staring back at him.

Harry scanned the many results that had been sent back, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The sediment from underneath Ray Yates' fingernails matched that at the scene, and Harry could remember that each nail had been full of the mud. As if he had dug his fingers in. Like he was trying to crawl away? There was also a small amount of skin found under the nails, but it did not belong to Jennifer, or any of the DNA on the system. A swab sample from his knuckles however did have traces of Jennifer's DNA. Harry rubbed his hand over his eyes. Ray could have hit her. The results were right in front of him. Her DNA on his swollen knuckles…

Harry flipped over the results and looked at Jennifer's. Again the mud under her nails matched that at the scene, but there was a considerable amount less under her nails than was under Ray's. There was however a larger sample of skin, but it also did not match anything on the system. Harry flipped between the sheets, noticing that the skin sample from under the nails of both the Yates' matched perfectly. There was definitely someone else involved. And it looked like both had fought back. But then why did Ray hit Jennifer? Something didn't add up, and Harry knew that until they could work out who else was involved, there were going to be a lot of unanswered questions.

Deciding that there might be more information on Nikki's computer, he moved to her desk and logged on using her password, smiling as he typed in the word 'pinacolada'. Leo would hate it if he ever knew that they used each others passwords. All the time. But it was just something else that they shared without even thinking about it.

Harry scrolled through the files, staring at the results on the screen for what felt like the hundredth time, stopping when he got to the end of the notes that Nikki had typed about Jennifer's and noticing the single word 'pregnant' that Nikki had typed in bold, before typing the information needed to write up the report. Harry sighed and rubbed his hand over his face again. Since he had got back from Hungary, Harry had tried to block out what had happened. It felt so long ago, and yet it had barely been six months. There was some things that seemed to bring back dark, fleeting memories. The ones that usually saved themselves for his nightmares, where there was nowhere for him to hide. Nowhere to run.

'Maybe Ray was better off dying rather than losing his wife and child,' Harry thought to himself, and then instantly regretted thinking such a thing. Hungary had been terrifying, and he had been distraught at losing Anna. And yet when those dark memories clouded his nightmares, there was only one thing that truly and utterly terrified him. And that was the thought of how close he had come to never seeing Nikki again.

The loud buzz from Harry's desk made him look away from the computer screen to see his mobile vibrating across the work top. Hoping that it was a text from Nikki, he reached over towards his desk and felt his elbow knock against something on the corner of Nikki's desk. Harry watched as Nikki's mug full of pens fell from her desk, and smash across the floor, as if in slow motion.

Harry swore under his breath and began to pick up the pieces that scattered the office floor, as well as the many pens that seemed to have thrown themselves as far from the desk as possible. The mug had been sitting on Nikki's desk since the first day she had started, and he knew for a fact that it was valuable. Some collectors piece that she had been given years ago. Probably worth a fortune.

Piling up the pieces, he knocked on Leo's door and entered without waiting for a reply.

"Leo, have you got any super glue?" he asked quickly, knowing that he sounded guilty.

"Hmmm," Leo mumbled scanning a finger along the page he was reading. Looking up at Harry he lowered his eyebrows in confusion.

"Super glue?" he asked. "Have you run out of thread for the stitches or something?"

"Oh ha ha," Harry mocked, rolling his eyes. "Have you got any or not?"

Leo searched through the drawers in his desk, shuffling through papers and stationary.

"Nope, sorry," he said to Harry who quietly swore under his breath again."What have you broken this time?"

"Nothing," said Harry quickly. "Why do you think I've broken something?"

"You look guilty," smiled Leo.

"I'm anything but," protested Harry, turning to leave the office but stopping in the door way. "Scellotape?" he added hopefully and could see the grin on Leo's face before he threw him a roll from the bottom drawer.

"'Thanks," Harry smiled as he left Leo's office. He had just got to his desk when he heard Leo shout from his office.

"Harry," he called. "If it's something of Nikki's, try and fix it before she's back."

Harry smirked as he picked up his phone from his desk and opened the message.

'See you tonight. Thanks again. Julia x'

"Shit," Harry muttered as he squeezed his eyes closed. Drinks after work were the last thing that was on Harry's mind. He wanted to see Nikki, but he had promised Julia that he would meet her. Nikki wouldn't mind. She never did. And that only made his annoyed at himself even more.

* * *

Nikki opened her eyes to a bright winter's afternoon, and stretched her fingers in front of her, like a cat waking up from a long sleep. The first thing she noticed was that the pounding behind her eyes now seemed to be no more than a dull ache, and the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach had subsided.

Stretching over to her bedside table, she managed to find her mobile and noticed the small light on the bottom flashing, indicating that she mad a missed call. Unlocking the phone, the letters on the screen read the very thing that she had been hoping for.

'1 new voice mail: Scrubs'

Harry soup had definitely made her feel better (the sleep and paracetamol probably had something to do with it too), but Harry's voice was the only thing that she wanted to hear now that she had woken up again.

Putting her mobile onto loud speaker, Nikki placed it on her pillow and pressed play, Harry's deep voice instantly filling the room.

"Morning skiver. Hmmm, it's probably afternoon by now isn't it? You are so lazy. It's not as if you're ill or anything."

Nikki smiled as Harry laughed down the phone.

"Anyway, I messed around with the settings on your mobile, and changed it so that when I rang you it would go straight to voice mail. Just so I didn't wake you up. And before you ask, no. I can't remember how to change it back again, but you might want to do that when you're feeling better. Just in case Leo phones. Or one of your many hopeful admirers.

Yes, I did have a look through your contacts. Why are they all men's names, might I ask? I think I noticed only a handful of female's in your phonebook. You really do have to get out more. Actually, no you don't. You need to stay in more and have girly parties and bake cakes and… knit. You know, stuff that doesn't involve men and your famous bed."

Was that jealousy Nikki could hear in his voice? She smiled at the very thought as the message continued.

"I'm rambling aren't I? Why didn't you tell me to shut up? Oh yeah, I'm talking to your voice mail. You better listen to this when you wake up!

I don't think I'll make it round tonight after work. I need to meet someone. No Nikki, it's not like that so don't lecture me, ok? I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I left you more Harry soup in the microwave, and there's some pizza in the fridge that just needs heating up. All Nikki-proof cooking, don't worry. Even you can't burn it. I mean, come on. Who manages to burn toast?

Sorry. Don't hit me for that. I know, it was a one off. You're a brilliant cook really."

Nikki laughed at the sarcasm in his voice, and the small 'not' that he coughed under his breath.

"I think I should probably go. Leo is looking at me funny. Do you know what he's just asked me to do? Work! Can you believe it? He actually expects me to come to this place and work! So I should probably do something, just to keep him quiet.

It's not like I haven't been doing anything productive today though. I thoroughly searched Wikipedia, and I've come to the conclusion that you do not have any of the nasty diseases that they mention on there. I think it may have something to do with a certain river, on a certain freezing night… Sorry. I'll make it up to you though, promise. And I'll keep checking Wikipedia. Leo says that it's not a very scientific site to use though. I better not reference it in my report that I'm supposed to be writing then. Apparently you can change it! I think I might go and change the definition of dragon to 'Grumpy old pathologist by the name of Leo.' I'm sure he wouldn't notice. How often if he going to search 'dragon' on Wikipedia?

So, remember to eat. Don't pass out anywhere, I can't guarantee that I'll be there to catch you this time. Better staying away from sharp things, just in case you do. Actually, it's probably best if you just stay in bed, unless you're hungry. Or need the loo. You should probably get up for that.

Sorry."

Harry laughed again as Nikki let out an "Ewww" at the phone.

"Ok, Leo really is starting to glare at me now. I told him that I was phoning the lab, and funnily enough I don't usually have a lengthy conversation with them. Mind you, I'm now having a lengthy conversation with myself.

Oh, the tox reports came back today for the Yates'. I knew there was something I was phoning for. Pretty much what you would expect really. The skin under the finger nails doesn't have a match though, but it's from the same person in both results. I'll talk about that with you tomorrow too.

See you real soon. I'll be there to cook you breakfast in the morning. Promise.

Miss you.

Bye."

Nikki smiled as her fingers closed around her mobile. Curling up into a ball in the warmth of the sheets, she pressed 'repeat' on the screen as she closed her eyes again, letting Harry's voice follow her into her dreams.

Letting his voice take over her dreams completely.


	11. Chapter 11  White Wine

**First of all, I need to appologise for not updating this sooner. I had coursework that took over my life completely! Had one day off the coursework to celebrate my birthday, but then regretted it the next day :P But I handed that in today, so have some free time before the next deadline.**

**Thank you so much if you're still reading, even after the longer wait :D**

**And a massive thank you to Ann1119, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, Gevaudan, EmmaJ1996 and Diggs for your reviews! You really do make me smile :D lots and lots!**

**I don't really like this chapter, but hopefully it'll get better :)**

**xXx**

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Chapter 11 – White wine

When Harry left the office at just after seven, darkness had settled sleepily through the streets, the hazy orange glow from the streetlamps desperately trying to illuminate the pavements. Harry could see the mist lingering in the air, reflecting off the light and sticking to his face. Pulling his scarf closer to his nose, he lowered his head and made his way down the street towards the pub at the corner.

He had chosen the pub mainly for selfish reasons. It was walking distance from the Lyell, which meant that he could leave his car in the car park. He couldn't see himself drinking much tonight, or staying out late, and so he could easily walk back and pick up his car after his meeting with Julia, ready to head to Nikki's in the morning to make her breakfast.

As Harry neared the pub, he could feel his hands trembling in his pockets and knew that it wasn't because of the cold. It was a completely irrational, and rather surprising feeling, but Harry felt nervous and he couldn't work out why. He knew that the conversation tonight wasn't going to be easy. How could it be when he was there to discuss Julia's sister and brother in law, who were now securely contained in the cold, dark fridges at the Lyell? But Harry couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that seemed to be sitting on his shoulders, weighing him down and threatening to stop him in his tracks.

Harry managed to force his feet to the pub door, and taking a deep breath he stepped through the door. The warmth of the pub hit him immediately, wrapping itself around his cold body. The dim lights cast abstract shadows across the bar and Harry was greeted by the inviting smile of John from behind the stacks of empty glasses and cans. After spending so much time in the pub after a long day at work, John had gotten used to Harry's presence.

"Harry," he smiled at him as he made his way to the bar. "The usual?"

"No thanks, it's just me tonight," Harry smiled back.

"Oh Harry, do you expect me to believe that?" John chuckled as he took a pint glass from under the bar before filling it and passing it over. "A pint before your date it is then."

Harry laughed and handed over the money before scanning the room in search of Julia, but the only people that he could see were the regular bar flies who were already propping themselves up on the rickety tables, their eyes slightly unfocused. John always knew Harry's drinking preferences, which seemed to alter considerably depending on his company. When Harry stepped through the door with Nikki and Leo, they were always greeted by a cold bottle of red wine and a cocktail menu, even though they knew each drink by name and alcoholic content by now. When he entered the pub alone however, John seemed to realise that a cocktail glass of vivid blue liquid with a strawberry on the side was hardly going to impress the woman that he was bound to be meeting.

"So," John started again. "Who is she then?"

Harry turned back to the bar and leant against one of the tall stools that lined the side.

"It's work," Harry said as he took a mouthful of his drink.

"Hmm, I've heard that one before," John laughed again as he made his way to the other side of the bar before calling back across, "Well I hope this one lasts longer than that pretty brunette you met a few months ago."

Harry sighed. That one was definitely a one night stand. A stupid attempt to take his mind off Hungary and of Anna.

"It's work," Harry repeated as John turned away.

"What's work?" he heard a soft voice from behind him, and turning round he found himself face to face with Julia, her blonde hair falling loosely across her shoulders, her large blue eyes sparkling even in the dim light.

"Julia, hi," Harry smiled as Julia leant awkwardly in his direction and placed a small welcoming kiss on his cheek. Her soft lips landed just below his eye, and it was then that Harry realised how tall she was compared to Nikki. Even when Nikki wore her boots she was smaller than he was. He was used to meeting women by now, but Julia seemed so comfortable in his presence already that it seemed to steady Harry.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked her and she smiled. It was the first smile he had seen from her, yet when she thought about it, the only other time he had met her was when she was identifying her sister, and there were everything but smiles that day. The smile was small and genuine, yet Harry could see the tiredness in her eyes and the small shadows that circled them that she had tried to hide beneath a layer of makeup.

"White wine," she answered, placing her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Why don't I go and find a table somewhere quiet?"

"Sure," Harry replied as John made his way back over to where Harry was standing, letting out a long whistle.

"Oh Harry, that one really is h-ot," he said as he watched Julia make her way towards an empty table in the corner.

Harry raised his eyes and John let out a single, loud laugh.

"What?" he said, raising his hands. "I though you said it was work!"

"A white wine," Harry said simply, and John smirked.

"You know what they say, don't you Harry?" he questioned as he handed over the glass of wine. "All work and no play…"

* * *

Julia spun the wine glass round in her long fingers, staring into the contents as they swirled around, like a small, confined tornado. Harry watched her, studying the expression that was etched across her features, and trying to work out what it was. She had been doing this for the last ten minutes, but Harry didn't want to disturb the silence that sat between them. She had phoned him because she needed someone to talk to, and that's what he was going to let her do.

Finally her hands became still, and Julia looked up at Harry, her eyes full of questions that he knew she would find impossible to ask.

"Jennifer was unhappy," she sighed, and Harry was startled by the words that had left her lips. He was expecting her to ask about the PM results and he was dreading the moment when he had to tell her that Jennifer was pregnant, but he knew that she had to talk, and so he kept quiet.

Julia took a deep breath and Harry could see her eyes brim with tears.

"She was really unhappy," she continued. "Ray had told me that she was acting unusual. Not herself. Like she was hiding something."

Julia returned her attention to her wine glass again before continuing.

"He phoned me a few days ago to say that he hadn't seen her all day. She'd left for work in the morning on the bus but hadn't got home. He was really beginning to worry. She wasn't answering her phone. And then at half eleven she just turned up at the door, telling him that she had gone out for a few drinks after work and her phone wasn't working," Julia stopped spinning her glass again but didn't look away from it. "But they argued. Jennifer wasn't drunk, but even after drinking a few she was always one to speak her mind. And Ray. Ray had a temper at the best of times."

Julia looked up at Harry and the tears ran down her cheeks, streaking her makeup once again.

"The next morning Jennifer turned up at my door. She didn't drive, and it was six in the morning, but she had walked to mine in the rain, in nothing more than a cardigan. She was freezing, exhausted. But she wouldn't talk to me. Why wouldn't she talk to me Harry?" she sobbed.

Harry placed a comforting hand on top of hers that was grasping the wine glass tightly, her knuckled beginning to turn white.

"Julia, none of this was your fault," Harry whispered, not quite sure how best to comfort her. It was so easy to help Nikki. It felt almost second nature, the way he would wrap her in his arms, letting her cry into his chest. But with Julia, he knew that he couldn't get that close and he found it almost impossible to think of an alternative way to comfort her.

"I was her sister," she sighed almost more to herself than to Harry. "I thought she could tell me anything."

"What happened after she arrived at your place?" Harry asked gently, trying to stop her from blaming herself.

"She went for a shower then shut herself in the spare room," Julia sighed, running a finger along the rim of her glass. "She wouldn't talk to me all night. She just said that her and Ray had fallen out, and that she needed some space before she went back home."

"And then she went home again?" Harry asked.

Julia nodded.

"Ray arrived at the door in the evening looking for Jennifer. I told him that she wasn't there, but he let himself in anyway and they began to argue again," Julia continued. "I don't know what it was about. They shut themselves in the spare room again, and all I could hear were whispers. And then they left."

"They left?" Harry asked, his eyebrows creased in confusion.

"They left. Just like that. And, and…" Julia covered her eyes with her hands and Harry heard her breath catch. "And that's the last time I saw her alive."

Harry breathed deeply again, trying not to remember the last meeting he had had with Julia, but the images of her breaking down in his arms seemed to have made a permanent home in his mind, and he really didn't like it.

"Harry," she hiccupped. "I think Ray killed her. I think he killed my sister."

Harry sighed. He had read the PM reports only a few hours before, and had almost memorised every detail.

"Julia the results of the post mortems suggests that there was someone else involved. We're waiting for the results to come back from the weapon, but even if Ray killed Jennifer, it doesn't explain how he ended up dead too," Harry tried to reason. "I'm sorry."

"But- but they could have fought. She could have injured him as she tried to defend herself," Julia stuttered. "I know that Ray hurt her. I know he hurt my little sister, and I wasn't there to save her!"

"Julia," Harry placed his hand on hers again. "I know you want answers. And I promise I will do everything I can to find them."

Julia looked Harry straight in the eyes, and he could see the sadness that filled her.

"You promise?" she whispered, only just audible.

Harry nodded. "I promise."

* * *

Harry and Julia managed to settle into a steady conversation, and Harry soon realised that Julia really did need to talk to someone. Once she had begun to talk, Harry had to do nothing but sit and listen, nodding at the right time, and smiling whenever she did. Harry had learnt so much about Julia within the couple of hours that they had been in the pub:

Julia and Jennifer had grown up together in a small town in Scotland, until Julia was seven and they had moved to London with their parents.

They had always been close. According to Julia, they used to go on holiday together every year until Jennifer met Ray. Ibiza was a popular destination apparently.

Jennifer and Ray had met through work, and got engaged after knowing each other six weeks. Julia never fully agreed with Jennifer marrying Ray, but she had wanted her sister to be happy, and until last week had fully believed that she was, despite Ray's frequent mood swings.

And he had learnt that Julia Yates really couldn't hold her drink as well as Nikki could. Three glasses of wine later, and she was noticeably slurring her words, her whole body relaxing against the rickety table.

Hoping that Julia wouldn't fall off her seat by the time he got back, Harry excused himself and headed for the bathroom. Once behind the door, he unlocked his phone and pressed the speed dial for Nikki. He knew it was getting late, but he wanted to check up on her, just to make sure that she was ok. If she had been asleep all day, she might be awake now to take his call.

The call went straight to voicemail, and Harry sighed. If she hadn't changed the setting back yet, maybe she was still asleep. She probably hadn't even listened to his rambling message from earlier. He couldn't even remember what he had said when he had phoned her now. He hoped that even if she hadn't listened to the message she had managed to get out of bed at some point today. He would need to check in the morning to make sure she had actually eaten something.

Typing out a quick message to her instead, he clicked send and hoped that he didn't wake her up.

Making his way back to the table, Harry could see Julia leaning on the table, her head on her hand.

"You took your time," she laughed as he sat down opposite her once again and she continued to reminisce about family Christmases and nights out. There was a small buzz from his pocket, and Harry took out his mobile under the table but he doubted that Julia would notice.

'Stop texting me and get back to your date! I'm fine :) N xxx'

Harry smiled, and Julia mimicked his actions but Harry knew that she was oblivious to the reason the smile had graced his lips.

'Not a date. I told you. You should be asleep. Hope I didn't wake you x x x'

Julia had moved on to stories about Ray, and how he had wanted to buy Jennifer a puppy for her birthday not knowing that she was allergic to dog hair. Harry very much doubted that he was going to be able to get any more relevant information from Julia now, but continued to nod and agree whenever it looked necessary.

'I was awake anyway. Been asleep half the day I think! Hope the dragon didn't make you work too hard. Stop texting me and entertain you date instead :P xxx'

So she had listened to the voicemail. Harry smiled again and then nodded in Julia's direction.

'You needed sleep. You looked awful! Dragon did make me work :( no fun without you. You better be well soon! x x x'

Harry could see Julia's arm begin to slide along the table as she tipped the rest of her glass of wine into her mouth. Nikki really could hold her drink better than Julia. Nikki probably had more practice however with the amount of time they spent in the pub after work.

'Charming, thanks Harry. You're still texting. Go away! Or I'll be on dragon's side. Harry soup worked wonders. See you tomorrow xxx'

Harry laughed and Julia smiled again.

'Night Niks x x x'

Turning his attention fully to Julia, Harry could see her eyes becoming heavy and slightly unfocused.

"I think I should get you home," Harry told Julia, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He had only had a few pints, but knew that he was now over the limit to drive home. He wanted to get home to his bed. He would need to be up extra early in the morning if he now had to walk to Nikki's before work rather than taking the car.

Making his way out into the cold winter's night, holding Julia up slightly by the elbow, they waited by the entrance to the pub for another taxi to arrive, Julia huddled in her coat and standing so close to Harry that their arms brushed together. As the car headlights rounded the corner, Julia stepped in front of Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you Harry Cunningham," she muttered into his ear, her warm breath sending shivers down his spine. "Thank you for listening."

Julia smiled and for the first time the smile reached her eyes, the shadow of the woman she once was before her sister's death apparent to Harry for the first time.

"I'll call you," she whispered before placing her lips fully yet softly on Harry's, one hand running through the back of his hair.

Pulling away, Julia stepped into the waiting taxi, leaving Harry standing on the pavement, his mind reeling and his lips tingling slightly in the cold.

That was not how he had expected to end his night.


	12. Chapter 12  Wind

**First of all, a huge thank you to all the people still reading :D**

**But a MASSIVE thank you to pinkswallowsun, Lizzieginne, Gevaudan, Ann1119, Diggs, EmmaJ1996 and gem.S for your reviews. You really do make my day :)**

**This one is slightly longer, and mainly just a Harry/Nikki chapter. It wasn't planned that way, but it happened :) hopefully it will actually start to move on in the next few chapters. I promise, there is actually a plot to this. I'm just hoping that it'll start to move on soon... :)**

**xXx**

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Chapter 12 - Wind

Harry's alarm reverberated through his bedroom at half five, and he swung an arm out of his sheets clumsily to silence his mobile, knocking it to the floor in the process. Sighing loudly, he rolled over onto his stomach and dropped his arm over the edge of the bed, feeling around blindly for the source that was still wailing at him. Finally locating his phone, Harry hit every button until it was silent and drifted back to sleep.

Seven minutes later, the snooze alarm rang through Harry's bedroom once again, and groaning under the sheets he tried to push the buttons on the phone that he could still feel in his hand, realising that he had fallen asleep with his arm hanging out the side of the bed, and as a result he had now lost complete control of his fingers. Swearing to himself, Harry swung his legs out of bed and turned off the alarm completely, before placing his phone back on his bedside table and shaking his numb arm, trying to rid it of the pins and needles that had now spread from his elbow to his fingertips.

The room was pitch black, void of any light either natural or artificial. Stumbling through the darkness, Harry reached the bathroom and turned on the light, shaking his arm as he did so. The bright light reflected off the white tiles of the bathroom, the distinct contrast making Harry scrunch up his eyes in protest.

By the time the shower was hot enough that Harry's tired body would not object, the feeling in his arm had returned. Stepping out of his baggy pyjama bottoms, Harry stepped into the steam and let the water pummel his body, his hair flattening across his eyes.

'You must be mad,' he thought to himself. 'You don't start work for another two hours.'

But he had promised her that he would be there to make her breakfast, and so that's what he was going to do. There was no way he would ever break a promise to Nikki, and secretly, he knew that she would do the same. Yet Harry had made another promise last night. A promise to someone else. Someone who he had spent little time with, yet he seemed to be thinking about more than he wanted to. And there was one part of the previous night that seemed to stick in Harry's mind more than anything else.

Julia had kissed him. Actually kissed him. Not like the small welcoming peck that she had placed on his cheek when she had arrived, but a full on kiss. And he had stood there and let her kiss him, not reciprocating, but not pulling away either. She had left him standing outside the pub, his mouth slightly open in shock and his hair damp from the mist that still clung to the air.

Harry scrunched up his eyes under the water and took a deep breath. She had only kissed him because she was drunk. That had to be the reason. There was no way that she liked him more than just a friend. She couldn't, not after only meeting him twice. He was just someone who was there to listen. She was going through a really hard time at the moment, and Harry was just there in all her confusion. And he certainly didn't have those kinds of feelings for her.

But he hadn't pulled away…

Shaking the thought from his head, Harry turned the temperature down on the shower and let the icy water sting his body as he breathed in sharply. He had to wake up and think straight. He was not ready for another relationship, and certainly not with the sister of someone he was investigating the death of. Not after meeting her only a few days ago. He was stupid to even think about such things.

* * *

Nikki disliked winter. She could accept the cold that seemed to cling to every surface and chill her to the bone, no matter how many layers she wore. She could deal with the fact that when she woke up in the morning she was greeted by darkness, and when she left for home after work the sun had already retreated, making it feel as if she had spent her entire day at work. Most of the time, she really _had _spent the whole day at work. Or week, depending on the case. But Nikki hated the wind.

It was such an irrational fear, and yet she couldn't shake it. When the wind whistled through the windows and blew over dust bins, whether it was daylight or not, it made Nikki feel uneasy. Night was the worst, when the wind would shake the trees, their branches flailing around in the moonlight, making the shadows in her room dance erratically. Like they were being attacked by an unseen force. Something that was so powerful, and so strong that there was no way of stopping it.

Deep down, Nikki knew that that was probably the main reason she was so afraid. No matter what she did, or how hard she wished that it would go away, there was absolutely no way she could control the wind that was now flattening the trees outside her apartment as they struggled to remain standing. Mother Nature really was a powerfully beautiful yet destructive force.

Nikki had woken early with the sound of the wind rattling her bedroom window and had pulled the sheets up high over her head, tucking her knees up to her chest. Her head still ached slightly, but the nausea had gone, and she could feel some strength returning to her limbs. She still didn't feel back to normal, but she knew that she had to get back to work. After half an hour under the sheets, Nikki came to the conclusion that there was no way she was going to fall asleep again, and so she threw back the covers and pushed herself to a sitting position.

Her room was freezing, and when she stood up she could feel herself sway slightly. Knowing that it was still hours before she was due at work, and doubting whether Harry would turn up earlier than five minutes before she was due to leave, she turned on her bedside lamp and made her way to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, Nikki could see the dark circles under her eyes, and the paleness of her skin. She was feeling better, but she knew she still looked exhausted. Turning on the shower as hot as it would go, she shrugged off her pyjamas and stepped inside, lifting her face to let the water run over her tired features.

The cases that were waiting at work started to play through her head. Technically, she wasn't directly involved in the cases at all, but as usual, she had found herself involved in them in one way or another, and she knew that there was no way that she would be able to walk away from them now. The Yates' case was Harry's, but when he had picked up the phone that morning to ask her to help him, he had immediately involved her too. She didn't know what it was, but something was preventing her from walking away from it and leaving it to Harry. Maybe it was because it had been her that had performed the PM on Jennifer and realised she was pregnant. Or maybe she really did just get too emotionally involved in investigations.

And then there was Rebecca Hall. That one really stuck in her mind. The similarities between Rebecca and Ruby's cases were startling, and she knew that the cases were related. They just had to be. The images of Ruby's distraught parents still haunted her mind, and she had promised them that she would do everything to find her killer. But she couldn't. There was never a weapon found. No DNA samples. No fingerprint traces. Rebecca Hall seemed like a second chance. Another opportunity to find the killer and link him to Ruby. An opportunity to bring some closure to her parents. But in the process, another family that was going to be ripped apart. And another innocent young girl was murdered.

Nikki sighed, and felt the heat swim around her, the steam from the hot water filling her nose and making her feel dizzy. Sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the floor of the shower, she tucked her knees up and let the water run down her back.

"Pull yourself together," she muttered to herself. "Or there is no way that Harry will let you go to work."

* * *

Nikki walked aimlessly round her kitchen, a thick woollen cardigan wrapped around her, and a pair of long slim jeans tucked under her heels. Normally, when she woke early and couldn't sleep, she would make her way to the Lyell Centre, but she knew she couldn't today. If Harry turned up and she was gone then he would worry. He would have to see for himself that she was better before he let her go to work again. She had spent the last twenty minutes in front of the mirror, trying to apply just the right amount of make up to make her look fresh and awake, hiding the tiredness, but not too much that Harry would notice straight away.

Opening the fridge, Nikki could smell the pizza that Harry had left for her and felt her stomach protest. She hadn't eaten anything since he had cooked her the soup, and she knew he would check. Turning to the microwave, she took out the small bowl of soup that Harry had left for her and poured it down the sink. She felt guilty as she watched the thick liquid run out the bowl. The soup surprisingly did taste nice, but she just couldn't eat any this morning. She would get something at work instead.

Nikki was sat tucked up on her sofa watching the clock as it neared half six, still nearly an hour before she could leave for work, when there was a small knock at her door. Unfolding herself from the sofa, she walked to her front door and turned the handle, only to be met with Harry pushing the door open at the same time.

Both of them were completely taken by surprise, each letting out a small noise as they met each others eyes.

"Harry," Nikki smiled as Harry sheepishly placed her spare key back in his pocket.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he let himself into her apartment. "I didn't think you would be awake. But it felt rude not to knock first anyway."

Taking her by the shoulders, Harry stood back from Nikki and took in her appearance, Nikki taking the opportunity to do the same to Harry. He was soaking, his hair even messier than usual and his coat dripping water onto her carpet.

"You are not going to work today," he stated finally and Nikki rolled her eyes. She had known this was coming and had spent all morning preparing for it.

"I am," she said simply as she shrugged away from him and made her way to the kitchen. "And there is nothing that you can do to stop me."

"Oh really," Harry smiled, raising his eyebrows and walking to the front door, taking her house key from the lock. "Do you want to think about that one again?"

Nikki glared at Harry and placed her hands on her hips.

"Put. It. Back," she told him slowly, trying to sound serious, but she could feel the smile creeping to her lips.

Harry simple twisted the key through his fingers, his gaze never leaving Nikki's.

"You have half an hour before I need to leave for work to convince me that I should take you with me," he stated. "Otherwise, I _will_ lock you in."

Harry grinned and stepped towards her slowly.

"And there is nothing you can do about it," he said, mimicking her earlier words.

Nikki giggled and flipped the switch on the kettle, listening to the water begin to boil within.

"That is a safety hazard," she stated, laughing slightly. "Locking people in their own homes. But if you're going to hold me hostage for the next half hour, you can make the coffee."

Harry smirked and placed the key back in the lock, taking off his soggy coat and hanging it on the door handle.

"And while your at it, you can tell me all about your date last night," Nikki added, pulling at a stray thread on her cardigan.

She could hear him sigh in the kitchen as she kept her attention on the thread that she was now wrapping around her fingers.

"You don't seriously think I believe that it wasn't a date, do you?" she smiled, knowing that she would be starting to annoy him now. When there was no answer she continued. "I mean come on Harry. Drinks after work with a woman. I'm guessing it was a woman, and it was drinks after work, otherwise you would have stopped me by now."

When Harry answered his voice was so close that it surprised her. She hadn't noticed that he had left the kitchen.

"It was work," he said, handing Nikki a steaming mug of coffee.

"With," Nikki pressed and could see Harry trying not to smile.

"With Julia Lyons. Jennifer's sister," he answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh," Nikki replied. She hadn't been expecting that answer, and felt guilty immediately. She knew that Harry had found the identification difficult with Julia, and that he had given her his details.

"Yeah," Harry said, looking at his coffee. "Oh. I told you, it wasn't a date."

"Hmmm," Nikki murmured watching his distant expression. "But did it turn into one?"

"No," Harry replied quickly, snapping his head up in her direction.

Nikki giggled and tucked her knees up under her chin, her warm mug cupped in her hands.

"You are such a terrible liar Harry Cunningham," she smiled, and watched an expression cross Harry's face that she couldn't place. "You do that thing with your fingers. You cross them all."

"I'm not lying," he muttered, uncrossing his fingers and making them into a fist. "It wasn't a date. She just needed to talk and didn't know who else to turn to."

Nikki laughed again.

"Right," she said as Harry looked at her closely. "She needed someone to talk to. And out of everyone she knows, whether she was close to them or not, she phoned you. A complete stranger who just happens to be a relatively attractive pathologist, who is dealing with her sister's death, and who gave her his contact details. You probably told her to give you a call if she needed anything, didn't you? I'm sure she had loads of other people she could have phoned. Someone else who she could cry to and show how she was really feeling, but instead she phoned you. Either she wanted details about her sister's case, or she fancied the pants off you. And knowing you Harry, she's probably done the latter already."

Taking a deep breath, Nikki sighed and looked at Harry who was now smiling at her, a strange look in his eyes.

"You think I'm attractive?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I said you were relatively attractive actually. And I meant to Julia. Once you have to look at your face every day at work, the appeal starts to wear off," she smiled at him, and heard him laugh in response. She really did love that laugh.

"You really can't talk today," he smiled. "At least I don't look like a ghost. And as much as I'd love to have you back at work, I really don't think you should go in."

Nikki rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to argue but Harry cut her off.

"And," he drew out the word as he stood up and made his way back to her kitchen. "Whether she fancied me or not, I can assure you that my pants stayed on all night, thank you very much. Really Nikki, what do you think of me?"

Nikki watched him as he opened her fridge and raise his eyes.

"You didn't eat the pizza," he stated, closing the door again.

"Hey, the soups not there any more though. So you don't even need to make me breakfast," Nikki responded. That bit wasn't a lie, the soup wasn't in her microwave. It was down the sink, but he didn't need to know that.

"You're not going to work," Harry said, placing his cup in the sink.

"Yes I am," Nikki responded, standing up and beginning to put her boots on, her nearly full cup of coffee on the floor by her feet.

Harry sighed and Nikki knew that she would win. She always won.

"Ok," he said as he watched her. "But only office stuff. You know, where you can sit down and not collapse on me again."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Nikki asked playfully.

"Nope," laughed Harry as he picked up her coat from the chair by the front door. "And I'm driving you there."

"Fine," Nikki agreed, meeting him at the front door as Harry shrugged on his soggy coat.

Harry opened the door and let Nikki pass, stopping just as he was about to close the door.

"Oh, wait," he said, his eyes slightly confused. "We'll need to take your car. I walked here."

Nikki giggled as he reached back in to her apartment and took the keys from the table by the door.

"I wondered why you were so soggy," she said as they made their way towards the cold winters morning that was waiting for them. "I thought you might have gone for a swim before you came round."

"Oh ha ha, you're so funny," Harry smiled, placing an arm around her shoulders. "I _am _sorry. Just let me know how I can make it up to you."

"I'm sure I'll think of something," Nikki smiled. "But for starters, just don't hit my car off anything else on the way there. That would be very much appreciated."

Harry laughed and gave her arm a tight squeeze as he opened the door to the cold wind that was abusing whatever it came into contact with. Nikki lowered her head towards Harry's chest and felt the heat of his body on her cheek, even through his coat, and smiled to herself.

There was no way she could be afraid of anything with Harry Cunningham by her side.


	13. Chapter 13  Normality

**And the next one :) Sorry it's taking longer to upload... coursework is slowly trying to take over my life completely. I should probably have been doing it instead of writing this, but I think I deserved a break :D haha**

**Thank you once again to everone who is still reading :)**

**And to Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, Diggs and pinkswallowsun... I hope you know how amazing you are! :D**

**I know I keep saying this, but I do have so many plans for this, and then before I know it I have another long chapter where not much happens. Most of it is relevant though, I promise. It should move on pretty quickly soon. As long as I can work out how to structure the chapters a little better :D**

**Anyway, it's getting late, and I have to be up for work in the morning, so I'll go :) Hope it's not completely terrible, I really do hope that the less interesting chapters don't put anyone off. It will get better soon. Promise :)**

**xXx**

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Chapter 13 – Normality

Leo had just turned on his computer when he heard the electronic door buzz open and the unmistakable laughter of his colleagues enter the building. The simple sound sent a rush of relief through his body and he grinned to himself. If they were laughing, things were back to normal. Leo knew that Harry would not let Nikki return to work if she wasn't ready. Although he was fully aware of Nikki's persuasion skills, he also knew too well that Harry was particularly stubborn.

He knew it was childish, but there was a small part of him that enjoyed watching them annoy each other. There was such innocence in the way that they taunted each other, but he never let it get too far. Sometimes he had to remind them, well Harry, that there was serious work to be getting along with, but he knew that the work would always get done, whether he reminded them or not. And he knew that Nikki always won whatever argument they were having, although he guessed that most of the time it was only because Harry let her.

Leo made his way to the door of his office to greet the pair who were walking so close to each other he was surprised that they didn't trip each other up. The smile on Nikki's face brought a brightness to her eyes, although Leo could still see the paleness in her skin.

"I knew it was a date," she giggled, pushing her shoulder into Harry slightly. "Why else would you have been too intoxicated to drive home? I knew it when you turned up at the door this morning drenched!"

"You are _so _nosey," Harry laughed back, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her to her desk. "And just for that, you can sit at your own desk for a change."

Leo couldn't help but smile at their interaction. They had been so wrapped up in each others presence that they had both walked right past him without even acknowledging he was there. He was kind of used to this by now however. Leo watched as Nikki shrugged off her coat and threw it over the back of her chair, turning in Leo's direction as she did so.

"Morning," she grinned as she noticed him. "Sorry I wasn't in yesterday. Did I miss much?"

Leo shook his head.

"Not much," he told her. "I got the tox reports back for Rebecca Hall. I'll go through them with you later, I need your opinion on a few of them."

Nikki nodded.

"Sure, no problem," she said, turning back to her desk and turning on her computer. He wouldn't lie, Leo had been worrying about Nikki for the past few days. After she had fainted at work, he doubted that she would be back within the week, coming to the conclusion that she had picked up some horrible bug from the river. He had told Harry before he left work the day before that if she wasn't any better, he should take her to see a doctor.

But it seemed like the only medicine Nikki needed, was Harry.

* * *

Harry watched Nikki flip open a case file, and slipped into Leo's office, closing the door behind him.

"What?" Leo muttered from his desk, not looking up from his own file that he was scrutinising.

"Eh, nothing," Harry replied, making his way back to the door.

Leo looked up and laughed at the sight of Harry who seemed to be dancing between Leo's office and the door.

"So you came in here just to tell me that you didn't need anything?" he joked.

"Well, no," Harry sighed, stopping in front of Leo's desk. "It's just. Well, I've got to go to the police station at eleven today about the Yates' case."

"Yes," Leo said, raising his eyebrows. "Your point being?"

Harry sighed. He didn't really want to voice his concerns in front of Leo but he knew that he was beginning to sound like he had lost his mind.

"I don't really think that Nikki should leave the office today," he blurted out eventually, realising that there was no other way that he could let Leo know what he was thinking.

Leo smiled at him gently and nodded his head.

"OK," he said. "I'll do my best to keep her here. You know what she's like though. Don't blame me if she disappears at some point throughout the day."

"Thanks Leo," Harry smiled back as he made his way out the office again, noticing Leo shake his head and roll his eyes once he thought that Harry wasn't looking.

Leo was right, Harry did know what Nikki was like. He knew her better than he knew anyone else, including himself sometimes. And that's what worried him the most. He knew that she was stubborn and hated being told what to do. If he had told her to stay in the office, there was a very high chance that she would end up somewhere else.

She was watching him as he left Leo's office, a curious look in her eyes as he grinned at her.

"Coffee?" he asked innocently and she nodded, flashing him a smile.

Maybe if he was nice enough to her she would actually listen to him, just for today. Harry laughed at the very thought as he made his way to the kitchen. No, that would never happen.

* * *

Nikki watched as Harry pulled on his coat, his phone vibrating across the desk as he did so. Picking it up before Harry had the chance, she read the alert that flashed across the screen.

"Hmmm," she smiled up at Harry. "One new message. Julia Yates. And you _still_ expect me to believe it wasn't a date."

Harry leant over and took the mobile from her hand, dropping it into his pocket.

"You can believe what you like, I'm still not giving in," Harry said, picking up a sheet of paper from the top of his to-do pile and scrunching it up into a tight ball.

"I know you Harry," Nikki almost sang as she directed her attention to her computer screen before adding "It's ten to eleven. You're going to be late. Go away."

"You have such a way with words," he chuckled, flicking the ball of paper at Nikki as he walked past her desk.

Nikki grinned as he passed, feeling his fingers flick her hair on the way past.

"Don't miss me too much!" he shouted from the door.

"Miss who?" Nikki muttered back and heard Harry chuckle as the door clicked shut.

Nikki glanced at the door, and once she was sure that Harry was definitely gone from sight, she sighed deeply and placed her head in her hands. She had just finished writing up the case notes for a young teenager who had committed suicide with an overdose of painkillers, leaving a simple note behind explaining it was because of the fact that his girlfriend no longer wanted to be with him.

It was cases like this that seemed to infuriate Nikki. He was young. Completely healthy. An A grade student. And yet he had felt so depressed, and so weak, that he thought the only way out was by ending his life, leaving behind distraught parents and a younger sister who would never be able to grow up with the protection of her older brother. Nikki had been in so many relationships that she had lost count, and yet she had never even thought about those kinds of feelings when the relationship ended.

Was it just that she was stronger than the people that had ended up on the slab, their bloodstream swimming with drugs, or their wrists gaping open? Or was it purely because she had never truly loved anyone? Never loved anyone enough that she couldn't imagine her life without them.

But then there was Hungary, and the hours that she thought that… No. She wouldn't let herself remember that time. She couldn't.

"Nikki," Leo shouted across the office snapping her from her daydream, motioning with his finger for her to follow him into the conference room.

When Nikki entered, the clear images of Ruby Wilson and Rebecca Hall were on the screen once more, the table scattered with countless sheets of paper.

"I need your opinion," Leo muttered as Nikki made her way over to the screen, Ruby's glassy expression staring at her from the image.

"I got the tox reports back yesterday, and I think we can now completely confirm that these cases are linked together," Leo continued.

Nikki felt a strange feeling pass through her body. It felt like relief, hope and guilt all at the same time. Relief at the fact that her suspicions had been right. Hope that she may be able to finally find some evidence in the search for Ruby's killer. And guilt at the fact that she had felt the previous emotions. It just meant that there was going to be another distraught family waiting for any information on their daughter. Another mother in the exact same position as Ruby's. Another reason to find the sick individual who had ended their lives…

"Nikki," she turned her head away from the screen and looked at Leo, his eyes full of concern.

"Are you ok," he asked, and Nikki nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine," she said quietly. "So, what did you need advice on?"

"Well," Leo began but Nikki could tell he was still watching her. "There was no trace of anything under Rebecca's fingernails other than soap particles, like they had been scrubbed clean before she was killed."

Nikki nodded. "I know. Ruby's were the same."

"That's what I thought," Leo sighed. "What about the stomach contents?"

Nikki thought back to the report that was in her desk drawer. She had gone over the notes so many times that they now seemed to be engraved in her mind.

"Not much," she stated. "A small amount of water and a few chunks of bread. Consumed about an hour before her death."

Leo nodded and pressed a tab on the screen, the images of the girls being replaced with a photocopy of Leo's result notes, the words scribbled haphazardly across the page.

'Stomach contents: water and what appears to be bread. Consumed no more than one hour before death.'

It was Nikki's turn to sigh this time and Leo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What about her blood samples?" Nikki added, dreading the answer that she knew was coming.

"Ketamine," Leo and Nikki said simultaneously.

"Enough to paralyse her," Leo stated. "If she wasn't unconscious when she was strangled, there is a high possibility that she would be aware of what was going on, but there was no way of stopping it."

Nikki nodded, the same thoughts running through her head. The same thoughts that had been tormenting her ever since she had received the blood results from Ruby. Nikki had spent many sleepless nights hoping that Ruby had been unconscious. That she hadn't been aware of what was going to happen to her…

"Injected in her left arm?" Nikki asked finally and heard Leo agree.

"So," Leo said loudly making his way to the screen and putting the images of the girls back on to the screen. "Both girls were reported missing. Both were young and healthy, in their twenties. Their blood was swimming with Ketamine which would have undoubtedly paralysed them long enough to strangle them and they couldn't fight back. So there was no traces under their nails as they couldn't fight back. And they were cleaned just to make sure."

"And they were probably stabbed after they were injected," Nikki added, staring at the pictures. "There's no blood traces around their hands."

Leo looked at the screen and again nodded in agreement.

"Leo," Nikki whispered. She really didn't want to ask the question, but she knew she had to. "Leo was she- Was she raped?"

Leo sighed and placed a hand on her arm again.

"Yeah, she was," Leo said. "But I couldn't find any DNA. It's like they know exactly how to hide any evidence. Or erase it completely."

Nikki sat on the edge on the table and could feel her hands shaking slightly, her head pounding. She was aware of Leo watching her, but she couldn't tare her gaze away from the screen. It was only when the screen went black that Nikki turned to Leo who was standing with his hand out in her direction.

"Come on," he said. "Lunch. And no objections. There's soup in the fridge."

Nikki smiled and let Leo pull her to her feet.

"Ok," she agreed. "But please, anything but soup."

* * *

Nikki picked at a sandwich, conscious that Leo was watching her again from behind his desk.

"Leo, you know the Yates' case?" she asked casually, looking away from her lunch.

"It's Harry's case," Leo answered. "He hasn't said much about it yet. I'm sure he'll let you know though once he knows more. I think he's in a meeting with Maddox now."

"Oh lucky Harry," Nikki laughed and Leo smiled in return.

"Maddox isn't that bad," Leo said. "He's just a bit-"

"Antisocial. Abrupt. Unapproachable," Nikki suggested, smirking slightly.

"Have you ever actually had a conversation with him?" Leo asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No," Nikki admitted. "And I don't plan on having one any time soon."

Leo rolled his eyes, but the smile stayed on his lips.

"You sure you're feeling better?" Leo asked her again, looking at the nearly whole sandwich that was sitting on his desk.

"Yeah, I am," Nikki said hoping that Leo would believe her quicker than Harry had. "I think I just caught a cold somewhere. There's probably something going around."

"Or maybe something to do with falling in a germ infested river?" Leo asked watching her closely. "I finally got Harry to spill. I knew there was a reason he was being so nice."

"Oh he's not that bad," Nikki giggled.

"Hmmm," Leo smiled. "When he wants something. Or when he's apologising. He isn't in the habit of making you coffee for no reason, is he?"

"Well," Nikki began, trying to defend Harry but she couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Ok, you have a point."

"He'll probably be back soon," Leo said. "I'd take the opportunity to ask for whatever you want whilst he's still in a good mood."

Nikki laughed as she stood up, picking up her uneaten lunch.

"I should probably do some work then before he gets back," she stated as she made her way towards the door.

"Nikki," Leo said just as she was about to leave the office. "It's nice to have you back."

Nikki laughed again. "I was only gone for one day Leo. You probably enjoyed the quiet for a change."

"Quiet!" Leo scoffed. "I had to put up with Harry moaning that he was bored all day. Make sure he does some work will today will you?"

Nikki nodded as she left the office, making her way to the fridge with her lunch. She really should do some work. Her to do pile was almost half the height of Harry's, which in her mind was far too much to leave. Harry might not mind a mountain of paperwork every day, but it was not something she enjoyed looking at.

Sitting back at her desk, Nikki noticed the scattering of pens that lined her desk and frowned slightly as she placed them back in the mug. It was then that she realised the cracked remains of her mug that had been scellotaped together haphazardly, the pieces not quite fitting together again, like a delicate mosaic.

Taking the florescent pink post-it note from the front she could see Harry's messy handwriting scrawled across it, the ink slightly smudged where his left hand had rubbed across it before it had fully dried.

'IOU one unique, rather valuable and irreplaceable mug.'

Nikki grinned and ran her finger across the cracks in the porcelain, her mind drifting to the time many years ago when her father had given her the mug. The brown porcelain was intricately covered in small, hand painted, yellow designs. It had travelled with them from South Africa and had been hand made by a local crafter. In all honesty she had never liked the thing, and yet it had sat on her desk from the first day she started, as if watching her, reminding her constantly of her past.

Like she would ever be able to forget that.

The phone in Leo's office rang through the quiet office, echoing through the work space. Nikki could hear a short conversation taking place in the office before Leo arrived at the doorway, an empty expression on his face.

"A body's been found," Leo stated. "A young female, stab wound. I don't know anything else."

Nikki let out a long breath.

"I'll go," she said. "Where is it?"

Leo hesitated and Nikki could see him watching her closely.

"Leo, you need to finish the PM reports, Harry won't be back for another hour at least, and I have nothing to do but go over old reports. I can do mine when I get back. It makes sense," Nikki explained.

Leo opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a fish gasping for water, and Nikki couldn't help but giggle.

"Harry told you not to let me go, didn't he?" she asked and could see Leo relax.

Of course he had.

"Well when he gets back, you can tell him that I snuck out when you weren't looking," she smiled, walking towards Leo and placing a hand on his arm. "So, where am I going?"

Leo handed over a small slip of paper, an address scribbled across it. He really did give in so easily.

"Don't worry Leo," she smiled. "Harry will believe anything if you tell him in the right way."

"Somehow Nikki, I think that only works when you try it," Leo said, watching her as she grabbed her coat.

"Well then, you can practice before he gets back," she laughed. "Just tell him that I answered the phone when you were in the kitchen. I'm sure he'll believe you if you try hard enough."

Leo nodded.

"Go on then," he sighed. "Just don't be long. Or I'll have to put up with Harry's moaning again."

"I'll phone if there are any problems," Nikki smiled. "Promise."

But Nikki knew who she would phone if there was a problem. It was always the same person. The recent suicide case flashed through her mind again and she shivered. Someone that she couldn't imagine her life without… Not having that person to share her problems with… She had come so close to losing him, and there was no way that she was going to let that happen again.

She knew that Harry would always be there for her. No matter what. And with this feeling of warmth filling her up from the inside, like the arm that held her protectively as they had left for work that morning, she buttoned up her coat and made her way out into the cold, to what would undoubtedly be another difficult case.

It always was…


	14. Chapter 14  Another

**First of all, I need to apologise greatly for not updating this sooner. The inevitable happened and coursework took over my life.**

**I found this chapter really hard to write, but it's probably because I wrote it after 3 hours sleep (due to coursework) and whilst watching Comic Relief. So I was kind of an emotional mess!**

**Hope it's not completely terrible. I've written some later chapters that are better than this one, but just need to get the in between chapters sorted. And there is a chapter mainly involving Harry that I'm dreading on writing! But it has to be done…**

**Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this, even though the updates have been so slow :)**

**And a special thank you to Ann1119, pinkswallowsun, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, Gevaudan, dinabar (both your reviews :D****) and Diggs… You're the reason this is still going! :D ****And the reason I promise to make it better…**

**xXx**

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Chapter 14 – Another

The rain was still falling, miserably dripping off the roof tiles and blanketing London in a thick grey cloak as Harry almost ran from his car to the police station entrance. Diving through the door, the warmth instantly hit him, despite the cold looking surroundings. He had entered the police station so many times, thankfully always through the front door, that the secretary at the front door seemed to recognise him now.

"Morning Dr Cunningham," she smiled at him as he made his way to sign in. "Who has the pleasure of your company today then?"

She was a friendly woman, with thick dark hair and plump cheeks. Harry felt almost rude that he had to check her name badge when she had taken the time to remember his name.

"Hi Lottie," he smiled, trying to disguise the quick glance at the badge. "It's DCI Maddox today."

Lottie beamed as she started typing into the computer system.

"Eleven o'clock," she said looking at the clock on the wall that had just crept to ten past eleven. "He should be in the conference room on the blue corridor. You know where it is?"

"Yeah," smiled Harry as he made his way through the visitors that had seemed to pour through the entrance from every direction. "Thanks Lottie."

"Good luck," she called back. "Maddox is very- punctual."

Harry smiled at her before quickening his step.

"How many DCI's have a time table anyway," he muttered to himself as he came to a stop in front of the conference room.

Knocking once he pushed open the door without waiting for a reply and found Maddox leaning against the circular table that filled the small room, a stern look etched across his features.

'Damn,' Harry thought. 'He's pissed off.'

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was-" he began but trailed off as Maddox stood up from the table. It was only then that Harry realised just how tall Maddox was. The only time he had seen him previously had been when he was standing at the observatory balcony, yet it was hard to tell how much of a presence Maddox actually had when he was near by.

He was massive.

His broad shoulders would be most suited to a rugby player, his thick neck resembling a bull dog. He towered over Harry, and when he spoke, his deep voice sounded more like a growl.

"Well you're here now, aren't you," he said simply as he walked past Harry and picked up a pile of papers from the front of the room.

Harry tried desperately not to roll his eyes as Maddox threw the papers in front of him and leant against the table again.

"I expect to have your full PM report by the end of the week," he said, still avoiding eye contact with Harry.

"Hopefully, yeah," Harry replied as he scanned the papers that scattered the table. "Are these all the crime scene photos?"

"Yes," Maddox answered, ruffling the papers so that the images of Jennifer and Ray stared at him from many different angles.

"Well," Maddox said, finally looking at Harry. "Is there anything of importance that I should know?"

"Not particularly," Harry replied shortly. "I would have phoned if there was."

"Nothing at all?" Maddox asked again, and Harry got the uneasy feeling that Maddox was expecting him to say something more.

Maddox's glare seemed to bore into him, like he was slowly picking apart his mind, teasing him to tell him any information that he had.

"Jennifer was pregnant," he added finally, and could see an emotion flash through Maddox's eyes that was hard to place.

"I thought you said that there was nothing important," he spoke slowly and Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"The information won't change your investigation," he reasoned. "And the full details will be in the report."

"That is for me to decide Dr Cunningham," Maddox growled.

Maddox's expression was now completely unreadable, and Harry began to feel uneasy. An awkward silence settled between them, and Harry tried to look anywhere but in the DCI's direction.

The shrill ring of Maddox's mobile cut the silence like a knife, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't understand why he had had to be at the station for a particular time, just to be grilled by Maddox. They had gotten no where from the conversation, and Harry was hoping that the call would be his chance to disappear again.

"Maddox," he could hear the DCI mutter to the mobile.

Harry tried to busy himself with the photos but couldn't help but listen to one side of the conversation that was taking place.

"No, not yet," Maddox continued. "Don't call me on this number again."

Harry could hear the venom in his voice as he spat down the phone.

He really didn't like this man.

"I need to go," Maddox announced as Harry scooped up the photos.

"Can I take these?" Harry asked, holding up the papers.

Maddox nodded and looked towards the door. Harry took the hint and walked out the conference room without looking back, hearing Maddox sigh as he passed.

"What a bloody waste of time," Harry muttered as he entered the reception area again, and he saw Lottie give a small wave in his direction.

"That was quick," she laughed as he passed. "Did you get him on a good day?"

"I hope not," Harry smiled. "If that was a good day, then I dread to think what a bad one would be like."

"Oh I wouldn't take it personally," Lottie grinned. "He's always like that."

Harry couldn't help but smile back. The receptionist seemed to have such a genuine, contagious smile that Harry had seemed to be able pushed the meeting with Maddox to the back of his mind. It wasn't worth getting angry over when he thought about it. And it had got him out of the office for a bit, and away from the paperwork that was still waiting for him. But the meeting had also taken him away from the presence of Nikki… Stupid bloody police. They always thought that they knew best. That it was only their time that was valuable.

Harry's mobile buzzed from his pocket and he realised that he had forgotten to reply to Julia earlier in the day. Sure enough, there were now two messages unread, both from the same blonde. There was a small part of his brain that registered that the blonde in question was not the one he was hoping for, yet he smiled nonetheless. Lottie had seemed to place a smile on his face that he was finding hard to remove.

"I've got to go," he said to Lottie, who grinned widely once again.

"See you soon Dr Cunningham," she said, waving enthusiastically.

"Please. Just Harry," he corrected her. "See you soon."

"Bye Harry," she smiled as Harry turned on his heels, making his way to the rain and opening the messages on his mobile.

'Hi. Sorry about the other night. I shouldn't have got so drunk. Fancy meeting up tonight? About nine, same place? Julia x'

The second text was shorter.

'Sorry. Shouldn't have asked. J'

Harry fumbled with his car keys until he managed to open the door, but by this time his hair was already dripping, and small raindrops covered the screen of his mobile. He re-read the messages and hesitated. He had to take Nikki home again, and he had wanted to stay to make sure she was ok. But she was back at work, so surely he would be able to be at the pub by nine as long as he made sure Nikki ate something.

'Was in meeting. Can do half nine? Same place fine by me. Harry'

Harry's thumb hovered over the 'send' button, and his mind wandered back to the last time he had met her. And her farewell kiss… Nikki's words rang through his ears. Had it turned into a date? No. He had to meet her. If nothing else, he had to set things straight and make sure that Julia was aware that there was nothing between them, however small.

He hit 'send' and turned on the ignition, making his way to the Lyell centre.

* * *

Harry walked through the Lyell centre and into the pathology unit without thinking, typing in his password automatically and moving as if on auto-pilot. His attention was focused fully on his mobile, and he was surprised to find the small smile still on his lips as he read the newest text message.

'Perfect. See you there x'

Passing his empty desk that he had expected to have to bargain with to get back, he glanced around the offices before making his way to Leo's. Harry knocked and entered automatically, speaking before Leo had the chance to look up from his notes.

"Leo, where's Nikki?" he asked casually, and could see Leo look up guiltily from his desk. "Please don't tell me she's out at a scene."

Leo simply shrugged and Harry sighed loudly.

"Leo! You said you'd stop-" Harry began but Leo interrupted.

"No Harry, I said I'd try and stop her," Leo sighed. "I had to put up with you complaining all day yesterday because you had no one else to annoy. I wasn't really in the mood for Nikki to start today in your absence. She had nothing to do, I did. She seemed better, and you know how stubborn she is! Not as bad as you right enough, but still!"

Harry watched Leo as he took a deep breath and placed his hands steadily on his desk.

"Rant over?" Harry asked simply and Leo nodded.

"Yeah, sorry. Long week," he said. "I'm sorry Harry, but you know what she's like. Have you tried stopping her when her mind is set in something? It's not easy."

"It's practically impossible," Harry agreed.

"Exactly," Leo smiled. "So go and phone her if you're worried. But she did seem a lot better before she left."

"I'm not worried. I'm just- Well, she doesn't need me to phone her. She is an adult, or so she says," Harry trailed off as he turned to leave Leo's office. He couldn't understand why he had wanted Nikki to stay in the office. She _was_ looking better, but when she wasn't around, he couldn't keep an eye on her. And he had told himself that he would.

"Well that makes one of you," Leo muttered as Harry left the office, knowing for a fact that he was on his way to phone Nikki.

* * *

Even before Nikki had stopped the car she could see the similarities. The area was dark. Enclosed. And deadly silent. She shivered as the images of the photos that had been on the projector flashed across her mind. It had happened again…

Turning off the engine, Nikki sighed and placed her head on the steering wheel. The sound of the rain pattered on the windscreen and the thought of getting out the car and to the situation she knew was waiting made her hands tremble. All she wanted to do was go home, crawl into bed and forget about everything that was going on around her, and yet she knew that was impossible. She had promised Ruby's parents, and in that promise she now included Rebecca's. If they were killed by the same person, or people, then any evidence she could find would help the situation.

And by the looks of it, there was going to be a whole set of new evidence linked to the case just outside the car. That's why she didn't want to move. She didn't want to add another name, another face, another body to the list of people that she had to make a promise to. Even if she didn't say the words, the promise was there. And there was no way she was going to give up until there was physically no more she could do. This psycho had to be stopped.

The small knock on the side window of her car startled her back into reality. Through the rain streaked glass she could make out the outline if a tall male, his grey coat buttoned up to his neck and his short dark hair flattened with the rain.

Nikki stepped out the car and looked into the eyes of Detective Shaw who gave her a weak smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said, and Nikki shook her head.

"No, don't worry. I was miles away," she said back as casually as possible.

"Some day, isn't it?" Shaw commented, holding out his hands to let the rain fall onto his palm. "I'm afraid it looks like another one."

"Did Leo let you know that we thought they were linked?" Nikki asked, making sure that they were talking about the same thing.

"He did," Shaw nodded. "And this one looks just the same. I have officers checking the missing persons list as we speak, but I'm pretty sure she'll be on there."

"Where was she found?" Nikki asked, trying to prepare herself, yet she knew that it was impossible. Every crime scene was different, no matter how similar they first appeared.

"Behind a block of offices. Down a side street. It's not used much, but she was found when as a passerby was going to work," Shaw explained.

Nikki shivered at the thought, at the resemblance between the cases, and at the cold rain that was dripping down the back of her coat. Shaw placed a large hand on her shoulder and Nikki looked up at him, realising for the first time how tall he was.

"You ok?" he asked, and Nikki was sure she saw a flash of worry through his eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine," she replied quickly. "Like you said, some day."

"Do you want to see the body then?" he asked, and as Nikki nodded, he began to lead her down the narrow side streets that wove through the tall office blocks like a maze. Not one that you would want to become lost in.

Shaw stopped and Nikki froze at the sight of the body.

The young woman lay slumped against the wall, her white shirt soaked in a crimson red, her blonde hair falling loosely over her face. Even from the distance she was standing Nikki could see the marks on her neck that indicated strangulation, and yet her hands seemed void of any blood. There was too much blood to suggest that she had been wounded post mortem, but no sign that she had tried to stem the flow. Which suggested that she was unable to…

The scene looked like a clever photo-shopped image. The surroundings were nothing but shades of black, white and grey, including the office clothing that the woman was wearing, and her grey, lifeless skin. And yet vibrate red blood splashed the scene, like an artistically added colour, there just to emphasise its importance.

"Do you want to have a closer look?" Shaw asked, seeming to sense Nikki's hesitance.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm pretty sure I know what I'll find though."

Just as she was about to pull on her white surgical gloves, her mobile sounded from the depths of her handbag, shattering the eerie silence of the side street. Rummaging around she managed to locate it and quickly glanced at the screen. She wasn't surprised to see the name.

'Scrubs Calling'

"I'll be over in a minute," she told Shaw before accepting the call.

First she had to deal with her overprotective best friend who insisted on tracking her every move lately. The one that had told Leo to keep her in the office. And the one that would now be back from the police station and notice that she was not at his desk...

She would need to sound really convincing. But she knew Harry would be able to pick up the tremble in her voice.

He seemed to be the only one that could truly read what she was thinking and feeling. Even over the phone.


	15. Chapter 15  Déjà Vu

**:O over 100 reviews! I didn't even think I'd get 1 when I first put this on here so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for everyone who has reviewed, and to those still reading :D It means so much to me :)**

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**Sorry it's another long one...**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 15 – Déjà Vu

Nikki had spent almost ten minutes on the phone to Harry, the rain dripping off her nose and sending shivers along her skin. Detective Shaw waited patiently under the shelter of a doorway that led into one of the office blocks, his fingers moving rapidly across the buttons on his own mobile.

"Where are you?" Harry had asked as soon as she had pressed the answer button.

"At a crime scene Harry, where do you think?" she had answered him, not even trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. She knew he was only looking out for her, but it was getting tedious lately.

"Where?" he questioned, and Nikki softened slightly at the concern in his voice. "I'll come and meet you."

"No, you won't," she had sighed. "_You _have three reports to finish. I saw them on your desk before I left. I'm not doing them for you this time."

There was a pause.

"Harry, please stop worrying," she said, knowing that he would be trying to think of another reason to go and meet her. "I'm fine. Absolutely, completely fine. But the longer you keep talking, the longer I have to stand in the rain, so please go away."

"Oh, thanks," he sighed. "I phoned to make sure you were ok. To make sure that you weren't lonely all on your own. And you tell me to go away."

"I'm not on my own," Nikki had tried to reason with him, even though she knew that this information might make the situation worse. "Detective Shaw is here too."

"Shaw," Harry murmured as if trying to picture him. "Oh, you mean the one that fancies you."

"No!" Nikki retorted. "Shut up Harry."

"Nice," Harry laughed. "So I'm to shut up and go away. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Nikki had smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"Ok. I suppose," Harry had sighed again. "Promise me though that you'll come straight back."

"I will," Nikki said simply.

"Promise," Harry repeated. "No matter how charming Shaw is. He's only allowed to drive you back here, because I'm guessing you must have gotten a taxi there. No where else, only here."

"I promise," Nikki had laughed again noticing how he had included the fact that he had driven her to work, believing that he was doing her a favour, and instead costing her the price of a taxi. She would let him think that he was doing her a favour though – it seemed to make him happy.

"Good, I need help on this report. And it's due in by the end of the day," Harry had said, but Nikki could tell he was trying a little too hard to sound off hand.

"Harry, I'll be right back. I promise," she said slowly. "So I'm going to hang up now. You know, so I can do some work before I get back."

It wasn't until she had said this that the situation seemed to crash back down on her. How could she be laughing with Harry when another young woman was lying dead a few feet away? Somebody else's daughter, girlfriend, mother even?

"I've got to go. See you soon," Nikki said, her finger already positioned over the 'end call' button.

"Nikki," Harry said, and she could hear the change in his voice. The concern and worry seemed to seep through the phone and wrap itself around her. She could hear so many questions in just her name, and she smiled slightly to herself. He really did care too much.

"Difficult case," she stated. "I'll tell you later. Can you let Leo know that it looks like there's another one please?"

"Oh," Harry had replied, putting the pieces together. "Yeah. You sure you don't want me there?"

"I'm sure," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you later."

She had hung up before Harry could think of another excuse to carry on the conversation and sighed loudly.

And now she was standing over the body of the young, blonde female, with Shaw talking rapidly beside her, his words passing her by without any intention of staying. It wasn't until he placed a hand on her shoulder that she tore her gaze away and looked at him, trying to focus on anything but the crimson blood that tainted her white surgical gloves.

"You ready to take the body back?" he asked and Nikki nodded, forcing a small smile to her lips and pulling off her gloves.

"Yeah, sorry. Miles away today," she said, turning away from the body. "I think I've got everything form here. I'll have a closer look when we get back to the lab, but it looks like it's connected to the other cases."

Of course she was related to the other cases. There _had _been the same single wound and marks on her neck…

Shaw nodded sadly.

"And I bet that she's on the missing persons list," he added, looking back at the body that was being covered up. "Shouldn't be too hard to work out who she is."

It was Nikki's turn to nod her head, trying hard not to look back. If she had to perform the PM on the body later, she didn't want to look at her any more than she had to. If she looked for too long then she became a person. She became a daughter. Another Ruby. Another Rebecca. And until she had performed the PM, she had to remain a body and nothing more, otherwise it would be practically impossible to do her job.

And this one was going to be difficult enough as it was.

* * *

"You know, I think I'm going to put a tracking device on you, just so I know where you are for a change," Harry had announced when Nikki walked through the door and into the offices.

"I told you where I was, I was at a crime scene," she replied shortly, dropping her bag by her desk and shrugging off her coat.

Harry stared at Nikki trying to read her reactions. She had seemed ok on the phone, but she had just dismissed his joke as if he was being serious. She knew him better than that. She always knew when he was just annoying her.

"What happened?" he asked gently and he could see Nikki's shoulders slump even though she kept her back to him.

"Déjà Vu," she answered before sitting at her desk and placing her head in her hands.

Harry tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes again in confusion. "Nikki."

"Another innocent woman, brutally murdered," she muttered into her hands. "Another Ruby Wilson. Another Rebecca Hall. Another distraught family that we have to witness identifying their loved one."

She paused, looking up at Harry who was still watching her.

"And for what Harry?" she asked and Harry was sure that he could see her eyes brimming with tears. "Because some sick bastard decided that he'd kill someone else? But not before he tortured her for a week, raped her, injected her with Ketamine so she was helpless, stabbed her, strangled her and dumped her in some deserted area for another innocent person to find."

She stopped, her breath catching as she inhaled deeply.

"I know that's what I'll find when I do the PM. I knew it as soon as I seen the body. I think I knew it even before that," Nikki said quietly, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

Harry hesitated. All he wanted to do was move around the desk and hug her. To comfort her and tell her that everything would be all right. But they both knew that that wouldn't help any. Sometimes there was never a happy ending to a case. Sometimes all they could hope for was that the sick individual wouldn't kill again. That there was some motive for their actions. But that obviously wasn't the case in this situation and so all he could do was let her talk.

She looked exhausted. He didn't doubt that she felt much better, but she still wasn't back to her normal, lets-annoy-harry self just yet. At least her stubbornness hadn't gone, he found that when she had gone to the case even though she knew he rather she didn't. But it was her stubbornness that made her so good at her job. There was no way she would leave a case until there was absolutely nothing else she could do.

"Nikki," Leo called from the door of his office. "The body's arrived. Zak is preparing her now."

"Ok," Nikki said simply, looking up from the desk towards Leo. "I'll go change."

Harry could see Leo scrutinising Nikki and knew that he could see the same paleness, the same tiredness that he could.

"You ok?" he asked and Nikki rolled her eyes again, standing up from her desk.

"I really do wish you two would stop asking me that," she sighed. "Honestly, I am fine. There is nothing wrong with me. I'm just tired, and a little run down I suppose, but after a few early nights I will be back to normal. Ok?"

"Ok," Leo smiled, nodding his head. "OK."

"Well," Harry drew out the word as he turned to Leo. "Now that Nikki has protested that she is indeed fine, even though there is no way that either of us believe her, can we get on to a very serious matter that we have been overlooking for far too long?"

"And what would that be?" Leo asked questioningly.

"When," Harry smirked, pausing slightly. "Are we next going to the pub?"

Leo chuckled and turned back to his office.

"You're an alcoholic Harry," Harry heard him say as he disappeared through the door.

"I am not," he retorted. "I only drink on any day that contains a 'Y'."

Harry heard Nikki giggle from her desk and couldn't hide the smile that automatically found its way to his lips at the sound.

"Don't you have a PM to do?" he asked her playfully, hoping that the earlier awkwardness had now gone.

He sat down at his desk and opened a file from his ever growing stack of reports to finish, trying to focus his attention on his words that he had scrawled across the page.

"How do you read that?" he heard Nikki ask from just above his shoulder and he smirked.

"What is wrong with it?" Harry asked, looking up at her.

"Nothing," she smiled and Harry instantly felt the warmth fill his body. Sometimes, it was only that smile that seemed to get him through the day.

"There is nothing wrong," she continued. "Apart from the fact that it looks like a spider has ran across your page. Honestly Harry, a four year old could write neater."

"Go and do your PM, Miss Perfect," he muttered, looking back to his file.

"What report was it you needed help on?" she asked him and Harry stuttered, trying to think of an answer.

"Oh, that," he said and almost rolled his eyes at his own pathetic attempt at sounding casual. "I managed to finish it. It wasn't as hard as I'd thought."

He knew, that she knew, as well as he did that that had been an excuse to get her to come back to the office straight away, and not to the police station with Shaw.

"Harry," Nikki almost whispered from behind him again and Harry turned back at the change in her voice, meeting her eyes again and realising that this time, she didn't even try to hide her feelings. "Will you come with me while I do the PM? You know, just to observe."

Harry gave her a small, warm smile.

"Of course," he said, spinning his chair round so he was facing her. "From the balcony?"

Nikki looked directly at Harry and she shook her head slightly. To someone who wasn't so close to her, this slight movement could have been easily missed. But not Harry. He could read her like a book, even when she seemed to have bond the pages tightly closed.

"Sure," Harry smiled. "I'll meet you in there."

"Thank you," she said quietly, placing a small kiss on his forehead before walking towards the door of the changing rooms, leaving Harry to run his fingers across the spot where Nikki's lips had touched his skin.

* * *

"Where's your scrubs?" Nikki asked as Harry walked through the door to the cutting room in his pristine white attire.

Harry frowned and looked himself over, narrowing his eyes.

"I mean _your_ scrubs," Nikki emphasised, a small smile playing on her lips that he could tell she was desperately trying to hide.

"I thought you didn't like my yellow ones," Harry smirked.

"I don't," Nikki said quickly and Harry chuckled as her cheeks flushed pink.

"I can tell when you're lying," he said as he made his way over to where she was standing. "You are so easy to read."

Nikki scrutinised Harry, her eyebrows knitted together before a smile finally graced her lips.

"OK, ok, you caught me," she laughed. "As much as I hate to admit it, and you better never repeat this to Leo, ever. But I like you in your hideous canary scrubs."

"I knew it," he smiled before realising just how close he was standing to Nikki. He could feel her warm breath near his chest, and the flitter of something undetectable in her eyes. He had just told her he could read her like a book, and yet for that split second, he had no idea what she was thinking.

"We have a name," Leo's voice rang through the cutting room, and both Harry and Nikki jumped apart at the sound, looking in Leo's direction.

"I've just got off the phone to Detective Shaw," he informed them, ignoring the fact that he must have seen how close they had been standing. Maybe Leo was as used to it by now as they were. Their shared personal space. "She was on the missing persons list after she didn't return home after work nine days ago. Mrs Lisa Roberts. Twenty four years old. Her husband has been informed and will probably be in tomorrow for the formal identification."

Harry could sense Nikki tense at Leo's words before she nodded to him and turned towards the body that was covered on the slab at the other end of the cutting room.

"Thanks," Harry said to Leo as the Professor smiled slightly and left the balcony.

He could see Nikki standing over the body, her head tilted to the side as she studies the young woman's features. Her long blonde hair lay limply on the slab, her paper white skin turning translucent in the harsh artificial light.

Placing a soft hand on her shoulder Harry could feel the tension relax slightly at his touch.

"Do you want me to do it?" he asked her, even though he knew what the answer would be.

Nikki shook her head and picked up the sharp scalpel that was on the table next to her.

"No, I just need you here," she sighed looking at Harry before adding "Do you want to know the results before or after I perform the PM?"

* * *

Nikki had been right.

The post mortem of Lisa Roberts had mirrored that of both Ruby and Rebecca in every physical detail, and Harry had no doubt that the blood and fingernail samples would also be same. Nikki had moved automatically through the process, a blank expression on her face like a temporary mask to hide her emotions. Harry just worried that when the mask was removed, she wouldn't be able to control the emotions that would take over.

For the rest of the day Nikki had been studiously scribbling notes on the case, flicking through reports on the computer and making numerous phone calls to the lab. Harry had stayed out of her way when she was working, although he had made an excuse all day to work near by so he could keep a close eye on her. And yet work seemed to distract Nikki from everything else, enclosing her in her own little bubble where she was able to block out her surroundings.

Harry glanced at his watch as the time crept past seven and Nikki switched off her computer.

"Home time I think," she yawned smiling in Harry's direction.

He frowned slightly at the sudden change in her concentration, and yet she seemed to be much more like her normal self all of a sudden.

"I'll cook you dinner," Harry announced, turning off his own computer.

"No," Nikki disagreed immediately and Harry's heart sunk slightly. He had been looking forward to taking Nikki home all day, and now she was going to refuse that he could stay. He knew that they would just end up watching another film, probably minus the wine this time, but he really had been looking forward to it.

"You cooked last time, it's my turn," she said, starting to pack up her belongings.

"Emm… thanks but no thanks Niks," Harry laughed, glad that he had misinterpreted the fact that she did not want his company. "I've tasted your cooking before. I do actually have some work to do tomorrow, and I don't think Leo would be too happy if I phoned in with food poisoning."

"Hey, I can cook," she protested, shooting him a playful glare.

Harry smiled. "After a hard day's work, I think I need something more substantial than a cup-a-soup or a pot noodle."

Nikki opened her mouth to retaliate, but gave up and closed it again.

"Take away on the way home?" she asked hopefully, and Harry hoped that this meant that she had some of her appetite back.

"Perfect," he smiled.

"Great," Nikki replied as she walked past him and picked up her hairbrush from Harry's desk. "Because you can pay after your cheeky remark."

Harry grinned as he began to pack his notes away and Nikki leant over the top of his desk, taking her lip gloss out of his mug that held a selection of pens.

"Since when was my desk a space for all your stuff?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Since I ran out of room on mine," smiled Nikki as she finished applying a layer of lip gloss.

Harry watched her closely as she rubbed her lips together before replacing her lip gloss and throwing everything else into her bag.

"Chinese?" he asked as they made their way to the door, waving to Leo on the way out.

"Fish and chips," Nikki corrected him and he chuckled.

Why did he always let her win?

Harry threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to his body just as he had on the way out the house that morning.

She could act as well as she wanted to but he could still see the cracks in her carefully constructed exterior. And somehow he knew that tonight, she wouldn't have the appetite to take his chips like she normally did.


	16. Chapter 16  Coffee

**I'm sorry this has taken so long to upload!**

**But thank you so much to everyone still reading :)  
And an extra special thank you to pinkswallowsun, Lizziginne, dinabar, gem.S, Ann1119 and Thyqua for your reviews. You're the reason that this is still going :D**

**This one seemed really hard to write, but I think it's just because I've written some of the later chapters that are more interesting :) Hopefully...**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 16 - Coffee

"Who asks for a potato at a fish and chip shop?" Harry laughed as he handed Nikki her plate, her knees up on the couch. "You always do the same. You order a jacket potato and then eat my chips."

"Well I never want chips when I get there, but I do when I get home," she said matter-of-factly as Harry sat down beside her.

"So," Harry smiled. "What film is it today then?"

Nikki shrugged, staring at her plate. Harry could tell that the cases from earlier were still on her mind.

"You know I'm always here, don't you?" he asked, trying to sound off hand. "If you ever need to talk about anything."

"Anything?" Nikki repeated, looking up at him.

"Well, there are a few things that I'd rather you went to Janet about. Girl – stuff," he smirked. "But anything else, yes. Anything at all."

"I know," she smiled. "And it's your turn to choose the film."

"Are you going to snore through this one too?" Harry asked casually and received an elbow in the ribs.

"Chip?" he offered and Nikki shook her head without looking up.

Harry studied her closely until she turned towards him.

"What?" she protested and he laughed.

"There must be something wrong with you," he said. "First you say you like my scrubs, and then you don't take my chips."

Nikki raised her eyebrows.

"First," she repeated. "I did not say I liked your scrubs. I said I liked you in them. And as I recall I also called them hideous."

"Same thing," Harry interrupted and Nikki rolled her eyes.

"No it's not," she said smiling. "And secondly, it's not any fun taking your chips if you offer them first."

Harry paused for a moment.

"You love the scrubs," he said simply, throwing a chip into his mouth animatedly.

"I wouldn't go that far Harry," Nikki raised her eyebrows. "I only said I liked you in them to shut you up."

"Liar," he mumbled and Nikki laughed.

"That's the best comeback you have? Oh Harry Cunningham, you're losing your touch," she teased and Harry could feel the sides of his mouth fight to turn up as he tried to remain serious.

When he didn't answer, Nikki continued.

"And I thought lefties were supposed to more creative," she sighed dramatically and Harry couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

"Not this one," he stated, and could see Nikki turn back to her plate.

They fell into a casual silence as Nikki made an effort to eat in front of Harry, and Harry tried to hide the fact that he was watching, the smile never leaving his lips.

"Film," Nikki asked eventually and he creased his eyebrows in concentration.

Harry smirked and opened his mouth to suggest one, but Nikki interrupted before he got the chance.

"No," she said sternly, pointing her fork in his direction. "Don't even think about it."

"You are unbelievable," he said, suppressing the urge to laugh. "You're a pathologist! You're used to blood and gore and whatnot."

"We are not," Nikki emphasised the last work, moving her fork nearer to his nose. "Watching. That."

"Oh, but it's so believable. Come on, don't you think it would make an interesting case for us," Harry smirked, but Nikki tried to remain serious.

"If you're watching Hostel, I'm going to bed," she said sternly. "I don't even know why that films here! It's not mine."

"Yeah I think I left it here the last time you refused to watch it," Harry smiled. "But you're the lethal one, pointing that fork at me."

Nikki lowered her hand and looked towards her DVD selection.

"Lethal," she smiled, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Again?" he said, trying to sound annoyed. "It's not my fault you fell asleep last time."

"Yep," Nikki agreed cheerily as she abandoned her plate and slid of the sofa to retrieve the Lethal Weapon DVD.

Harry watched her, his head tilted to the side slightly. She was right, she was fine. No she wasn't back to normal, but there was nothing for him to worry about. She hadn't eaten much, but she was still as stubborn as ever, and had managed to persuade him to watch the same film yet again. Harry almost laughed to himself. Who was he kidding, she would _always _be able to persuade him to watch a certain film, even if she did say that it was his choice.

He wouldn't ever tell her, but the truth was, he hadn't watched the film the last time either. Once Nikki had fallen asleep on his knee he had switched the noise off and simply stroked her hair until he knew that there was no way she would wake up when he moved her. Then he had put her to bed, cleaned up and left the apartment. He had wanted to watch the film, just for a reason to remain so close to her until it finished, but he hadn't wanted the sound to wake her, and he thought there was something creepy in sitting in silence. But he had wanted to, just to feel the warmth of her next to him.

Nikki climbed back up onto the sofa, tucking her knees up and leaning in towards Harry who lifted his arm so she could nuzzle in closer, resting her head on his chest.

"No snoring remember," he said and Nikki giggled.

It only took ten minutes before Harry could feel Nikki relax under his arm, as she drifted off to sleep once again.

* * *

Harry entered the pub just before quarter to ten to find Julia talking casually to a very flirtatious John behind the bar.

"Harry," John waved as he noticed his presence. "We were just talking about you."

"All good I hope," Harry smiled as he leant against the side of the bar.

"I'll let Julia fill you in," he chuckled as he poured him a pint without asking, before attending to a particularly tipsy gentleman propped up at the other end of the bar.

"Sorry I'm late," Harry said as Julia finished the last of her wine.

"Oh it's no problem," she smiled at him. "I finished early so I thought I'd wait for you."

Harry wandered how much time she had spent waiting for him. Or more to the point, how much time she had already spent drinking. He didn't really want to deal with a drunken Julia again.

"John darling," she sang across the bar. "Same again please."

John appeared with another glass of wine and a beaming smile. One that he usually kept for Nikki when they went for a drink after work, and one which always made Harry feel uncomfortable. He liked John, but there was something about the way he watched the woman women in the pub that Harry felt was out of order.

"I'll find us a table," he announced as he walked away from the bar, trying to ignore the comments that he knew would make him cringe as John tried to flirt with Julia again.

Harry was flicking through the messages on his phone when Julia appeared at the table with another glass of wine. At least she still looked steady in her feet, which had to be a good sign.

"Hard day?" she asked as she sat opposite him, taking a sip of her wine and Harry slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Hmm," Harry mumbled. "Not any worse than usual I suppose."

Julia paused, as if studying Harry.

"Look Harry, about last time-" she began but Harry lifted his hand, cutting her off.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled. "Really."

"I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry," she sighed, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"Julia, it's fine," Harry laughed. "We both had a lot to drink."

"Yeah," Julia sighed, her mind seeming to drift elsewhere.

"Have you found anything else on Jennifer?" she asked eventually. "Anything that could suggest that Ray had hurt her?"

"There's still no evidence that Ray killed your sister," Harry said softly, and he could see Julia's shoulders slump.

"Look Julia," Harry said, lowering his head trying to look at her better. "There was some evidence that Ray had hit Julia not long before she died. There was bruising on her cheek, and Ray's knuckles. It could have happened the same day that Jennifer visited you. But there is nothing to suggest that Ray killed her. There was definitely a third person involved in their deaths, it's just not possible otherwise. I promise you, we're still doing everything we can to find out what happened."

Julia looked up and Harry could see fresh tears in her eyes. It seemed like every time he met Julia, he gave her some news that would make her cry.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked him and Harry could feel a lump in his throat. He should have told her the last time that they had met, but it just hadn't seemed the right time.

"Yes," he said simply, wishing that she wasn't watching him closely. "Jennifer was pregnant."

Julia stared at Harry, her expression completely unreadable, before she placed her head in her hands and began to sob.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Breathing in deeply, Julia eventually looked up again, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"How far?" she chocked.

"It's hard to say exactly," Harry said. "Still in her first trimester."

Julia's eyebrows creased as she looked down at the table. There was a loud cheer from a group of drunken men that were crowded around a TV in the corner as there was a goal scored.

"Harry, is there anywhere we can go to talk? Somewhere quieter?" Julia asked, taking a large mouthful of wine.

Harry hesitated. He had taken home so many young women from the pub that he had lost count. But this was different. She needed to talk, nothing more. The kiss had meant nothing. She was drunk and grieving for her sister. Harry was just there at the wrong time. It wouldn't have mattered if it was Harry or John that night, she would have acted the same way.

"We can go back to mine," Harry said slowly, trying to gauge Julia's reactions.

"As long as you have coffee," she smiled weakly and Harry nodded taking out his car keys.

"I'm a pathologist," he smiled. "Of course I have coffee. We can't function without it."

* * *

It felt strange opening the front door for Julia. He couldn't remember the last time he had female company at his apartment where they had both been sober enough to remember each other's name. Well, apart from Nikki, but that was completely different.

"How do you take your coffee?" Harry asked as Julia sat on the sofa tentatively.

"Strong. Black," she replied. "One sugar."

Harry watched her look around his apartment from the kitchen as the water boiled in the kettle.

"It's very tidy," she said to Harry when he handed her the coffee. "For a single guy I mean."

"Who says I'm single," he smirked, raising his eyebrows.

Julia opened her mouth as if to apologise before closing it again and Harry laughed.

"Yes, it's just me here," he smiled. "But I do admit, I get help with the cleaning bit."

Julia rolled her eyes and clasped the mug of coffee, her knuckles starting to turn white.

"I thought Jennifer had been drinking," Julia questioned. "Why would she be drinking if she was pregnant?"

"Like I said, it was early on. She wasn't showing. Maybe she didn't know she was pregnant," Harry responded. He couldn't remember telling Julia that Jennifer had had a drink, but then again, they did both have a lot to drink the last time.

"Maybe," Julia repeated quietly. "Or maybe that's the reason they were arguing."

"Julia, we may never know why they were arguing," Harry said gently. "We are trying to work out what happened. We're waiting for some results, and we'll have the crime scene photographs at the lab tomorrow once I've collected them from the station. We will find out what happened."

"She was my little sister…" Julia trailed off and Harry moved to sit next to her.

"Listen. This was not your fault. Do you understand?" Harry spoke slowly. "None of this was your fault."

"I just wish I could have been there for her," she sniffed. "Every time I try to go to sleep, her screams stop me. Like she's torturing me. Punishing me. Why did I let he leave my place with him?"

Julia moved closer to Harry and he could smell the sweetness of her perfume.

"I wish I could just forget about it all for one night," she whispered into his ear. "Just one night where I can fall asleep without the nightmares."

Harry's eyes locked with Julia's and for what seemed like the first time since they had met, there were no tears. Just something else…teasing him.

"I'll give you the name of a family liaison officer," Harry said, taking a pen and paper from under the coffee table. "They can help with getting you a doctor's appointment to talk about sleeping tablets for a couple of days."

Julia gave him a sceptical look as Harry scribbled down the number.

"They can help," Harry smiled reassuringly. "Even if it just gives you a few more hours sleep. And believe me, sleep really does help."

Julia scrutinised the name and number before smiling at Harry.

"Left handed," she smiled as Harry gave her a confused look. "I can tell. You're writing is awful."

"Thanks," Harry laughed, remembering Nikki's jibes earlier in the day.

"Do you know that left handed people are supposed to be more creative?" Julia whispered as she moved closer again, so her lips were almost touching his ear.

"I have been told," he answered, Nikki's words again swimming through his mind.

"Well then," Julia said, standing up and taking Harry by the hands. "Why don't we see just how creative you can be?"

Turning on her heels, Julia spun round and slowly pulled Harry towards his bedroom door before stopping in the doorway and pressing her lips tightly to his.

But this time, Harry pulled her closer as they stumbled through the door, his body seeming to act without him thinking.

* * *

**Just a little note for anyone who hasn't seen it, but Hostel is possibly one of the most disgusting films that I was ever stupid enough to sit through :P**

**I wouldn't advise watching it... it makes me shiver just thinking about it! haha**

**Then again, I am a wimp :D**

**xXx**


	17. Chapter 17  Spider

**Ok, I admit, this chapter doesn't _really _have a whole lot of relevance. But hopefully it will reassure everyone that I'm definitely on Harry/Nikki's side :D**

**But if you read the description for the fic... no hints tho :P**

**This wasn't supposed to end up as a whole Harry/Nikki chapter, but it did. Hopefully the next one will go back to the case again :)**

**THANK YOU to everyone reading, and especially to Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, Thyqua and dinabar for your reviews even after I hadn't updated in so long. You're the best! :)**

**Hope it's not getting boring!**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 17 – Spider

Harry opened his eyes slowly to find his bedside lamp still on despite the fact that it was six in the morning. Blinking against the light he pressed his fist into his eyes as his phone vibrates quietly on his bedside table. Reaching out he felt the soft hand that was placed on his back move slightly and smiled to himself, turning around to the sleeping blonde.

Harry sighed heavily as he watched her, her mascara blurry and her usually straight hair spread across the pillow. She had a small smile on her lips, but there was no movement behind her eyelids. He didn't think she was dreaming, but she seemed to have slept all night without any nightmares either.

It was still a couple of hours before he was due in at work, and he didn't want to wake Julia up just yet. How many times had he woken up in this situation? Post Hungary the numbers seemed to have increased for a while, and yet none of them lasted more than one night.

Most of them he couldn't even remember the name of. There was a Lucy, and a Rosie. And quite possibly a Joanna too… but he couldn't remember who was who. As well as countless others that all seemed to blend into the one person when he tried to picture them. He'd probably try and chat them up in the pub again, not remembering that he had already worked the Cunningham charm on them. But to be honest, he was fed up of all that now. Maybe he should listen to Nikki – he wasn't as young as he thought he was.

The thought of Nikki reminded Harry of his mobile, and he slowly turned over again to read his text. There were only ever two people that would text him this early in the morning. There was Leo, who would text if there was a new case that needed seeing to, but he always phoned two minutes after he text if Harry hadn't replied. And there was Nikki, who could text him at stupid o'clock in the morning just to inform him that she was still awake. And usually, he would end up spending hours texting her back, even if he had been on the edge of sleep himself.

Unlocking his phone, he was therefore unsurprised to see the alert.

'One new message: Jam'

Nikki liked to be up early for work, even if she had had a late night before. No matter what time he managed to get there, she always seemed to be there before him. Six probably wasn't even classed as early for her. Yawning, he opened the text.

'Can you stop by mine on the way to work? Need your help xxx'

Harry felt a rush of panic shoot through his body. She had seemed alright when he left her last night, but maybe she was just acting better to stop him worrying. Nikki didn't usually openly ask for help. Most of the time he had to work really hard and piece together all the little things that he found that seemed different before he could work out what was wrong. If there was something wrong. So if she was texting him asking for his help…

Rolling over, he gentle shook Julia's bare shoulder, and she groaned slightly.

"Julia," he whispered. "I need to go. I'll speak to you later, ok? Take as long as you like. The door will lock behind you."

Julia groaned again in protest and grasped his arm, pulling him in closer to her so she could sleepily kiss his cheek.

Harry didn't respond, instead pulling away again gently.

"I have a lot of work to do," she said, throwing his legs out the side of his bed. "I'll phone you later."

"Ok," Julia sighed before pulling the sheets up further and drifting back to sleep.

Harry threw on his shirt and grabbed his car keys without even thinking about breakfast.

* * *

"Nikki," Harry called as he pushed open her front door, not bothering to knock this time.

Nikki uncurled herself from the sofa and rubbed her eyes sleepily at Harry, still dressed in the same clothes as the night before. Harry let out a breath that he didn't realise he had been holding as he watched her.

"Have you been sleeping on the couch?" Harry asked quizzically.

Nikki nodded and covered her mouth as she yawned.

"Why?" he asked, drawing out the word. "Didn't I put you to bed? Again."

Harry smirked as Nikki blushed, looking away from him quickly.

"Yes, you did," Nikki replied. "But I woke up about eleven, went to the bathroom, and when I got back…"

"What?" Harry said, and was surprised to find he sounded worried. What could have caused her to sleep all night on the couch?

"There's a spider in my room," she said, as if it was a stupid question. "That's why I needed you to come round."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"You got me out of bed, made me skip breakfast and drive like a lunatic to get here for a spider!" Harry laughed before realising how he had given away how panicked he had been.

"I didn't ask you to come right away," she protested. "I just said before work."

"I thought there was something wrong," Harry said, yet the relief that now filled his body seemed to be all that mattered. If anything, Nikki looked even better this morning than she had done all week, despite the fact that she had slept on the sofa all night.

"There _is_ something wrong Harry," she scowled. "There is a giant spider in my room, and I am not going in there until it is gone!"

"Then get rid of it," Harry grinned. "Or go into work in the same clothes. I'm sure Leo won't notice. And if he does you can just tell him that you were with one of your very unsuitable men in your phonebook."

"Why do you think that I text you? I'm not going in there. And I have never gone into work in the same clothes as the night before, unlike some." Nikki shot him a glare, putting her hands on her hips. Harry tried not to laugh. He knew she was trying to look serious. And failing miserably.

"The great Dr Nikki Alexander. Afraid of spiders," he laughed. "You grew up in South Africa. You should be used to them."

"Well I never liked them over there either," Nikki smirked. "And those ones could kill you."

"So you called me out at this time in the morning, just so I could get rid of a little spider for you?" Harry asked, shaking his head at her.

"Yeah," Nikki nodded. "And it's not a little one. I could just about handle a little one. That one is huge."

Nikki frowned slightly, as if studying Harry.

"You weren't busy this morning, were you?" she asked worryingly.

Harry thought about his bed, and the blonde that would surely still be asleep, curled up in his sheets, before shaking his head.

"Unless you count sleeping busy," he smiled.

Right now, Harry couldn't think of a single person that he would have stayed with rather than checking on Nikki. Apart from maybe Anna… No, even then he would have made his way to see Nikki without even thinking. If he was still with Anna, if she was still alive, she would be waiting for him when he got home again. She would have understood that there would be times when Nikki needed him more than she did.

He had promised himself that he would look after Nikki, no matter what. Nikki was his best friend, and had been for so long that he couldn't imagine not running to help her whenever she needed him. That's what best friends were for, right?

"I'm sure you're exaggerating Niks," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. "It can't be _that _big."

"It is," Nikki stated. "So shut up and get rid of it for me so I can change."

Harry sighed dramatically as he walked across the room, stopping outside Nikki's bedroom door that had been pulled shut.

Pushing it open slowly, he peered round the doorframe into the spacious room. It was spotless, as usual, apart from a few discarded socks by the bed, and a hairbrush by her dressing table.

"Can you see it?" Nikki asked, standing far away from the door on the other side of the room.

"Oh yeah. Hey Nicks, it's like Charlotte's web, it's even left you a message," Harry said, trying to sound serious. "To Nikki. I am more scared of you than you are of me."

Harry laughed as he stepped into her room. He was really enjoying annoying her this morning.

"Very funny," Nikki groaned. "Can you see it yet? I'm not going back in until it's gone. It was by the window."

"Seriously Nikki," he called again through the door, searching around the window area. "I don't know why you're so scared. I'm sure it's only a little, bloody hell it's huge!"

Harry was standing outside her bedroom again, leaning against the closed door before he had even realised what he had done. Nikki raised her eyebrows at him and tilted her head.

"Told you so," she smirked. "Now you can go and get rid of it so I can change."

Harry shook his head and looked at the closed door as Nikki made her way over to him.

"Please Harry," she sighed. "I really want to get ready for work."

"You look fine like that, Leo won't notice," he spoke quickly . "Actually you could just wear that all week. I'm sure it'll make it's own way out when it's ready."

Nikki stepped even closer to him and he could smell her perfume. It was so different to Julia's. Julia's seemed to catch in his throat it was that sweet, but Nikki's familiar fragrance seemed to put a smile on his lips before he noticed.

"And I thought you were my knight in shining armour," she whispered teasingly in his ear. "I'm going to make breakfast, and I expect it to be gone before I'm back."

She shot Harry a sparkling smile, and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving him to face the spider.

He didn't doubt her of course. If he didn't get rid of it, she wouldn't go in. There was no question about it. He just hadn't expected her to be so scared of them. Thinking about the one in her bedroom however, Harry thought it would be hard to find someone who wasn't at least a little creeped out by it.

"Does Leo like spiders?" he called in the direction of the kitchen, not taking his eyes off the door.

"Just get rid of it Harry," she called back. "If you do, I'll even make you breakfast too."

'At least she had her appetite back,' Harry thought to himself as he breathed in and stepped through the door again.

The spider hadn't moved, it just seemed to twitch its legs as if taunting him, its huge body remaining perfectly still.

"When I kill it, do you want to do the post mortem or will I?" he shouted through to Nikki, smirking as he did. "It'll be pretty easy though. Cause of death: size nine shoe to entire body, smushing it into wall. Weapon thrown from a distance. Killed on impact."

"Don't kill it!" she shouted back. "Just trap it and put it out the window."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered to himself.

Nikki appeared by the door and handed him a large glass and a thin book.

"Have fun," she smiled, before disappearing again.

"Oh yeah, loads," Harry muttered more to himself again. "When I got up this morning all I wanted to do was have a one-to-one with a mutant spider."

Was there anything that he wouldn't do for this stubborn blonde?

"Hey, Nikki," he shouted again as he tried to build up the courage to move nearer. "If I get rid of it, does this make me Spiderman?"


	18. Chapter 18  Cops

**This took me longer than planned to write... sorry!**

**I have about 5 chapters finished for much later on, but I need to get there first, which is harder than i thought :p**

**THANK YOU to everyone reading. And to savingthestars, pinkswallowsun, EmmaJ1996, Lizziginne, gem.S, Thyqua, dinabar and Ann1119 - Have I ever mentioned how amazing you all are! :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 18 – Cops

Harry sat in the reception area of the police station, aware that Lottie was watching him from behind the desk. He must have arrived early after leaving Nikki to get changed, and reasoned that there was little point in going in to work to leave for the station half an hour later. He had got there before Lottie's shift started, and it had taken her almost ten minutes to realise that he was sitting there, but now that she had, Harry could sense that she was trying to get his attention.

Harry normally liked talking to Lottie. Sometimes it felt like she was the only normal person working in the station, or at least the only one that ever made the time to make him feel welcome. But it had already been a long morning, and Harry wasn't sure if he could handle her cheeriness and enthusiasm when he felt half asleep.

He looked up slightly, but it was enough for Lottie to catch his eye, and her trademark grin spread across her face. Harry smiled in return, unable to do anything else, as Lottie waved enthusiastically in his direction.

"Dr Cunningham," she beamed. "Back so soon?"

"Afraid so," Harry replied, making his way towards the desk. It felt rude to ignore Lottie when she was so welcoming.

"Maddox?" she asked and laughed as Harry scrunched up his nose, nodding his head.

"Hmmm…" Lottie mumbled. "I've only seen him briefly today. But he looks like he's stressed out. He was shouting at someone on his mobile."

"That's all I need," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Long morning already?" Lorrie asked, the smile never leaving her lips.

Harry thought back to the text message that he had received this morning and felt his own smile grow. He could still picture the look on Nikki's face as he had carried the spider through her apartment, trapped under the glass, its legs squashed up against the side. The punch that she gave him was worth the entertainment when he had pretended to trip in her direction with the glass before he had let it go out the window. He was just glad that he hadn't dropped it. He doubted that he would be brave enough to chase the spider around the kitchen, trapping it on the wall had been bad enough.

"It's been an _interesting_ morning," he grinned at Lottie who chuckled.

"Well, according to his schedule, he should be finished his meeting in about three minutes," Lottie informed him as she scanned the computer.

"I didn't know DCI's were so punctual," Harry muttered and Lottie smirked.

"Usually they're not," she rolled her eyes. "But Maddox is. Everything has to be on time. Everything precise and perfect."

"Hmmm," Harry mumbled. "He doesn't seem the type somehow. He's just so-"

"Yeah, I know," said Lottie. "So avoidable."

"To put it politely," Harry smiled.

"Well, good luck," Lottie said, looking down the corridor. "It looks like he's on his way now."

Harry glanced at his watch just as it reached nine o'clock. Maddox was perfectly on time.

"That's just weird," Harry grinned as Lottie picked up the phone, giggling slightly.

"Cunningham," Maddox's low voice was close behind Harry, who turned round to greet him.

"Maddox," he answered just as shortly.

"DCI Maddox," Maddox narrowed his eyebrows, his shoulders back.

"Doctor Cunningham," Harry emphasised, meeting Maddox's stare.

They both stood perfectly still, their eyes locked together as if fighting for dominance. Physically, Maddox seemed to dominate any room that he was in, towering over Harry, and yet there was no way that Harry would simply let him take control. 'The bigger they are the harder they fall' he thought to himself. He knew that Maddox was used to people cowering under him due to his presence, but not Harry. Harry could fight his own battles.

"This way," Maddox eventually said, turning on his heels and making his way down the corridor without waiting for Harry to follow.

"It's a good thing you're having an interesting day Dr Cunningham," Lottie whispered over the desk. "Because Maddox is having a bad one. I can tell."

"This should be fun then," Harry sighed. "And it's Harry."

"Oh yeah, sorry," she chuckled. "See you later Harry."

Harry made his way down the corridor before realising that he was still smiling. 'Maddox must be the only person who does not find that woman's smile contagious' he thought to himself as he entered the conference room. 'And if there's one thing that man needs, it's to smile.'

* * *

Leo pushed the release button for the door and welcomed Detective Shaw into the offices, shaking his hand firmly.

"Professor Dalton," he greeted him before Leo motioned to the conference room and followed him through the offices.

Nikki was already staring at the screen, deep in thought when he entered, and she looked up at their appearance, smiling slightly.

"Hello again Dr Alexander," he smiled, tipping his head slightly.

Leo noticed Nikki's smile grow at his greeting. Probably something to do with Shaw calling her 'Doctor' rather than ignoring this fact. Most Detectives couldn't see past the pretty blonde to the knowledge that Nikki had in her field. Leo doubted that he would ever work with anyone as talented as Nikki when it came to facial reconstructions, and she seemed to be able to play off Harry perfectly. They always seemed to be able to piece the fragments together.

"Nikki," she smiled at him, and Leo could see Shaw's eyes glisten.

Now there was something new. Nikki rarely became on a first name basis with a Detective so soon. Yet Leo reasoned that this may not be a bad thing. It was far easier than working through the obvious animosity that was usually present between the pathologists and the Detectives.

"So," Leo said loudly, bringing both their attention back to the issue that they were all there to discuss. "There are a few points that we think you should know about this case."

Shaw turned around at his words to look at the images on the screen, waiting for Leo to continue.

"First of all, there is a serious lack of evidence with each victim," Leo stated and heard Shaw sigh.

"Is that supposed to be a good point?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Not particularly," Leo said. "But it does tell us something about the killer, or killers. They're precise in their work. They know exactly what they're doing. The killings seem almost meticulously planned out to ensure that no one witnesses them disappearing. And that no DNA is left behind, even though each of the victims were taken at least a week before they were found dead, and were raped. Usually there is some DNA left behind, no matter how small."

"So the killer knows how to stay hidden," Shaw said, stepping closer to the screen. "What else do we know about them?"

"The killer is a sick, twisted individual," Nikki muttered and Shaw turned to look at her. Leo could see Shaw search her features questioningly.

"The blood at each crime scene indicated that the victim was killed in the location that they were found. Each of them would have undoubtedly bled to death if it wasn't for the fact that they were strangled first. But there was no blood on the victim's hands," Nikki paused, watching Shaw, yet he indicated for her to continue. "Which suggests that the victim was unable to stop the blood flow, linking in to the fact that the blood samples showed a high dose of Ketamine. But there were no blood splatters."

Shaw frowned and turned back to the screen.

"But I thought you said that they were killed where we found them," he stated.

"I did," Nikki sighed, and Leo could see the look of despair in her eyes. This was definitely one of those cases that would cause her to spend half the night at the office. "They were definitely killed at the scene. There's too much blood to suggest otherwise. But the lack of blood splatters just suggests that the killer stabbed the victims slowly. That's what makes them so twisted."

"It was torture," Shaw muttered, not turning away from the screen. "They were drugged, stabbed slowly to cause as much pain as possible. Left to bleed, probably while the killer watched, and then he strangled them before he left to make sure that they were dead."

"Or she," Leo interrupted, and Shaw turned to face him. "The evidence does suggest that strangulation was caused by a male due to the size of the bruises, but we haven't ruled out that there was only one killer."

Shaw seemed to contemplate this information for a while, before sighing heavily and leaning against the table.

"I'm guessing that you work pretty close together then, to find the evidence," Shaw asked casually and Leo smiled, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I suppose we do," he said before looking at Nikki and adding "Most of the time" with a smirk.

"So where is Dr Cunningham today then," Shaw asked. Leo could tell that Shaw was trying to sound casual, yet he found the question unusual.

"At the station," Nikki answered. "He's working on a separate case with Maddox. I think he's collecting the crime scene photos."

Shaw chuckled, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Lucky Cunningham," he said, smirking at Nikki. "I thought he had the photos already?"

This time Leo could see his own confusion mirrored in Nikki's expression.

"Oh," Shaw laughed. "We seem to work in a similar method to in here. I know a little about the background of the case he's working on, and had been told that some of the photos had been given to the forensic department already. The Yates' case was it?"

"Yeah," agreed Leo. "He's went to officially collect the complete set of images needed for the case."

"I'm surprised that Maddox let the first set of photos go without the formal process. He's usually so precise about procedures," Shaw said as his phone began to ring.

Apologising, he answered it, turning away from Leo and Nikki and leaving the conference room.

* * *

Nikki watched Shaw leave before turning to Leo.

"As Detectives go, he's not too bad," he said to her, but she could sense something in his words that he wasn't saying.

"I suppose," she mumbled, flicking through the notes on the desk.

Shaw appeared at the door, leaning round the door frame.

"I've got to go," he said apologetically. "I'll be in touch soon. Bye Nikki."

Nikki gave a small wave as he left and could feel Leo watching her.

"What?" she asked exasperated.

"Nothing," Leo smirked. "I just think Shaw has a favourite, _Nikki" he _emphasised her name.

"I'm going to do some work," she said, trying to hide her smile as she collected up the notes and left the conference room.

She could hear her phone vibrate across her desk, and flipping it open she noticed the new text from Harry. Opening it she read the simply message:

'Maddox is a git.'

Giggling, she locked her phone again and sat down at Harry's computer.

"Good cop, bad cop," she muttered to herself, smirking.

And it looked like she was the one lucky enough to get the good cop this time.


	19. Chapter 19  Identification

**Another one I'm not happy with... But it would be too long if I added it to the next chapter :) I really need to hurry up and get the filling chapters finished so I can upload the ones I've already done.**

**Thank you once again to all you wonderful people who are reading and reviewing.**

**And to gem.S, Thyqua, EmmaJ1996, pinkswallowsun and Lizziginne... you are the reason this is still going :) Thank you all!**

**Even though I really should be revising, instead of watching old episodes and writing this... :P haha**

**xXx**

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Chapter 19 - Identification

"Lisa Roberts' husband will be here within the next half hour," Leo informed Nikki as he hastily passed her desk on the way to his office, and Nikki sighed.

She had been dreading the formal identification all morning and was hoping that it could be put off for another day. Not that that would help any. It didn't matter how long it took for a body to be identified, the pain in the relative's eyes was always the same. And sometimes waiting just made it even harder. Waiting gave them that little extra time to build up their hopes and almost convince themselves that they were not going to see their loved one under the white sheet.

The buzz of the door sounded sharply and Harry walked in, his wet hair flattened across his forehead, and wearing a look of annoyance.

"Raining again?" Nikki asked casually, turning back to the computer screen.

"Really?" Harry said sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

Nikki smiled but didn't look away from the screen as Harry dropped an envelope on his desk and shrugged off his coat.

"The official crime scene photos," he stated as he hung his coat up. "Eventually. Next time, you can go and speak to Maddox and use your charm that you save just for Detectives. Maybe then he'll actually manage to smile."

"My charm?" Nikki laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on Nikki, don't pretend that you don't know," Harry smirked. "I can't think of a single male Detective that you have worked with that hasn't flirted with you throughout the investigation."

Harry leaned in closer to Nikki until he could whisper in her ear.

"They like the pathologists young, blonde and pretty. And I bet Maddox is the same."

Nikki watched him closely as he sat down at her desk opposite.

"Is he really that bad?" Nikki asked, knowing that Harry was wanting to let off stream.

"Worse," Harry said, leaning back on his chair. "He's just so- I don't know really. Arrogant. Too full of self importance. Up his own-"

"Ok, I get it," Nikki giggled. "You don't like him."

"It's not that I don't like him," Harry stated. "He didn't give me the opportunity to like him. He works to a schedule. Down to the very last minute. And once your time is up, he has no interest in what you have to say."

They had worked with countless Detectives over the years, some more hospitable than others. But Nikki could tell that Harry would never have a civil conversation with Maddox. He had already decided that he didn't like him, and there would be little chance in changing his mind. It sounded like Maddox was one of those Detectives that talked at Harry, not to him, and she knew that it infuriated him. To be honest, it annoyed her too, and she was aware that she could lose her temper with certain officers just as easy as Harry could.

"Well I'd rather not talk to him to be honest," Nikki said eventually. "I'll leave that please down to you."

Harry raised his eyes as footsteps sounded along the corridor towards the door to the offices.

"Oh look Niks," Harry smirked. "Another Detective for you to practice your charm on before you try with Maddox. Not that you'll have to try very hard with Shaw. He fancies you anyway."

Nikki pulled Harry a childish face before realising why Shaw would be at the Lyell Centre and sighed again.

Making her way to the door, she pushed the release button and the door opened to Shaw, a tall, tanned man following right behind him with his head down.

"Nikki," Shaw nodded his head in her direction as he passed her and she noticed Harry move to sit at his own desk, giving her a small smile. He hated this bit just as much as she did.

"This is David Roberts. Lisa's husband," Shaw introduced, and Nikki nodded in his direction.

David Roberts glanced up briefly before looking back at the floor, his chest moving rapidly as if trying to compose himself.

"Let's just get this over with," David murmured and Nikki nodded again, leading them through to the identification room where Zak had previously prepared the body.

Stopping at the door, Nikki looked at David and for the first time met his eyes. There was no expression on his face, just a mask of indifference. And yet his eyes swam with sorrow and hurt, as if pleading with her to make the situation disappear. As if she could open the door and give him back the Lisa he remembered, alive and well.

"You ready?" Nikki asked gently and David took a deep breath, moving closer to the door.

"I'll wait here," Shaw said, moving to sit down on one of the small cushioned chairs that sat in the corridor.

David moved into the identification room, a small enclosed area that was dominated by the low table in the centre, on which lay the covered body safely enclosed in soft sheets. Nikki could see David shaking as he crossed his arms across his body, as if trying to hold himself together.

Placing her hands on the white sheet she waited for David to nod before she slowly pulled it back, careful to stop just after Lisa's chin to ensure that the strangulation marks were kept hidden.

David stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the lifeless body in front of him before he leant over and grabbed the table, his chest moving rapidly as he tried to hold in the tears.

"Take your time," Nikki said quietly and David pushed away from the table again.

"It's not her," he said quietly, turning away. "It's not her."

"Mr Roberts," Nikki said gently. She had seen the recognition on his face when she had pulled the sheet back. He was not the first person to try and convince himself that the body was not their loved one, and he wouldn't be the last.

"I'm really sorry," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

David whipped round at her touch.

"It can not be her!" he shouted, glancing quickly at the table again. "My Lisa was so full of life. She was always laughing. That can't be Lisa. It just can't be."

"I know this is hard," Nikki said quietly, not taking her gaze away from his. Finally he moved towards the body again, and this time Nikki could see the tears beginning to cascade down his cheeks.

"Who could do this?" he choked, his hands shaking again. "Who could hurt her like this?"

Nikki watched as he studied the body, standing behind him silently.

Suddenly, David whipped around and the look of sorrow was completely replaced by another emotion. Anger seemed to flash across his eyes as he stepped towards Nikki, a firm hand grabbing her by the shoulder and pushing her backwards.

There was a thud as Nikki's head hit the wall, David stepping so close that she could smell his breath. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as David's grip tightened.

"Why did this happen?" he growled at her. "You must know who did this. You have to know who did this."

"We're trying to find the evidence that-" Nikki began but David interrupted.

"That's not good enough!" he roared, his hand pushing against her chest, pinning her to the wall.

"Please," she stuttered, struggling to take a deep breath. "Please, I promise, we're doing everything we can."

Nikki struggled against David's weight, yet he was tall, powerful.

"You must know who killed my wife!" he shouted again, pushing her harder against the wall as Nikki gasped for breath.

It was then that the door to the identification room flew open, and Nikki felt the weigh pulled from her as she slid down the wall, breathing deeply and placing her shaking hands to her chest.

"Calm down," Harry's voice was clear and precise, and Nikki could see David's body relax, Harry's arms grasped around his wrists, as he broke down in tears.

Shaw appeared at the door as Harry pulled David to his feet, and he pushed him in his direction.

"Please escort Mr Roberts from the premesis," Harry told Shaw, who nodded and placed his hand on David's back, pushing him from the room, a look of confusion on his face as he glanced from Nikki to Harry and back again.

Harry walked to where Nikki was leaning against the wall, sliding down to sit next to her and placing an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in to his chest. She could feel her tears slide down her cheeks as she breathed in his aftershave, her own body relaxing against his heat.

"It's definitely Lisa Roberts," she murmured into his chest.

"Yeah, I'd say so," he replied, his eyes fixed on the table in front of him.

They sat together for what felt like hours, yet Nikki doubted that it had been more than a couple of minutes.

"How did you know I needed you," Nikki asked quietly. "I thought you were busy on the Yates' case."

Harry leant back slightly, tilting her chin so she was looking straight at him.

"You always need me," he smirked.

Nikki giggled, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

"That doesn't answer my question," she said.

"I heard a shout," Harry said slowly. "And Shaw had just walked past on his phone. So I thought I'd check. I know what you're like. I think you go looking for trouble."

"Thank you," Nikki said quietly, lost for anything else to say. She was not in the mood to argue playfully with Harry. She preferred just sitting next to him.

Harry gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Do you think we should do some work now?" he asked. "Before Leo comes looking for us too."

Nikki nodded as Harry stood up, holding out his hand to pull her to her feet. They stood opposite each other, their eyes locked together as Harry held on to her hand before he smiled at her and turned to cover the body back up.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder Harry led her from the room towards the offices, closing the door firmly behind him. Nikki took a deep breath. He was right. She did seem to always need him.

And every time, he was there before she even realised that she did.


	20. Chapter 20  Fathers

**I've been playing with the end of this chapter for ages and I've now given up. It just needs to stay as it is :P**

**This will have relevance later on, promise :)**

**THANK YOU once again to everyone reading. I know I say it every chapter, but you really are amazing :D**

**And to gem.S, Ann1119, Thyqua, EmmaJ1996, pinkswallowsun and Lizziginne... you are more than amazing :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 20 - Fathers

"You could report him," Harry said as he passed Nikki a mug of steaming coffee.

Nikki shook her head.

"He was in shock," she replied, wrapping her fingers around the mug. "He was grieving. He wasn't thinking straight."

Nikki was aware of Harry studying her and couldn't help but smile. He really did worry about her far too much.

"You should be checked out, just to make sure you're alright," he said and Nikki laughed.

"There's no need," she said. "I'm perfectly fine."

'Thanks to you' she wanted to add, but she knew that Harry would be able to sense what she wanted to say, without her having to saying it out loud.

"You know, I think if I looked up 'stubborn' in the dictionary there'd be a picture of you," smirked Harry.

"I wouldn't know," Nikki replied. "My dictionary doesn't have pictures."

They were both laughing as Leo made his way out of his office, stopping in front of the desks.

"Harry, Maddox has been on the phone requesting a preliminary report for the PM's on the Yates'," he said before noticing Nikki's still blood shot eyes.

"You ok?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Fine," Nikki smiled, shooting Harry a look that told him not to say anything. She'd had enough 'are you ok's' to last her a lifetime after the river 'incident', from both of them, and she wasn't in the mood for them to start again.

Leo looked far from convinced, and yet he rolled his eyes and turned back to Harry. That was one of the many things that Nikki loved about Leo. He didn't pry into her thoughts, and yet she knew that he would look out for them no matter what.

"Can you get a preliminary report finished by the end of the day?" he asked Harry, crossing his arms.

"Probably," he said. "Why does he want it now? To fit in with his little timetable. His schedule. I might leave it until tomorrow morning just to annoy him."

"Harry," Leo said in a low, serious voice, like a father telling off his young son.

"I was joking," Harry smirked and Nikki couldn't help but laugh at the look on Leo's face.

"End of the day please," Leo smiled. "I really am partial to a quiet life."

Harry and Nikki sat in silence, drinking their coffee, as Leo moved around his office talking rapidly on his phone.

"I hope your better at sewing up the bodies by the way," Nikki said finally, holding up the decretive mug that sat on her desk, feeling the fragile pieces move between her fingers.

Harry opened his mouth as if to retaliate before closing it again, leaning back in his chair, a smile playing on his lips.

"I'm sorry," he said. "How did you know it was me and not Leo?"

Nikki giggled as she examined the hap hazard lines of scellotape that wrapped the outside of the porcelain.

"You're repair skills are so unique," she smiled back as Harry's expression changed slightly.

"Is it valuable?" he asked her, a worried look in his eyes.

"'Not any more," Nikki laughed before adding "Don't worry about it. I never liked it anyway. It was something my father gave to me years ago. If he knew it was actually worth something then there would be no way he would have parted with it. I don't know why I still have it really."

She could see Harry watching her again.

"Maybe to remind you of him?" Harry asked casually, leaning forward on his desk.

"Hmmm, I don't know. I spend most of my time trying not to think about him to be honest," Nikki replied, not looking away from the mug.

"There must be some part of you that thinks about him. Some part of you that-" Harry stopped, as if he was unsure what he was trying to say.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him. "Some part of me that _loves_ him?"

She could hear the doubt in her voice as she emphasised the word and knew that Harry would be able to hear it too.

"Well, yes," said Harry cautiously.

Nikki paused.

"I try to tell myself that all the time," she said quietly, running her finger along the cracks in the porcelain. "But some things that are broken can never be fixed. No matter how much scellotape you use."

Nikki could feel the tears in her eyes, and rubbed them away angrily. She didn't want to cry over her father. She had done that far too often, and knew by now that he wasn't worth getting upset over.

Harry leant over the desk as far as he could, tilting his head so he could look her in the eyes, a playful smile on his face.

"It's ok you know," he said slowly. "To love him. I know you do. No matter what happens between the two of you, he's your family. You have to love him, whether you want to or not."

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Nikki said, as Harry leant back in his chair again.

"Talking from experience I suppose," he sighed, running his hands through his hair. "When my dad died- when he, you know. I was so angry at him for leaving us. I used to think that I hated him, and then I hated myself for thinking that I hated him."

Harry stopped, his eyebrows creased as if concentrating.

"But I didn't," he said simply, looking at something in the distance. "I hated the fact that he wasn't around any more. That he had been weak enough to leave us on our own. But I didn't hate him. I loved him. And that's what made me so angry. I didn't want to love him after what he had done, but there was no way that I could stop loving him. Does that make sense?"

Harry suddenly focused on Nikki again, and she could feel the weight of his question to her. She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his which seemed to swim with emotion.

"Yeah," she whispered. "It makes perfect sense. I hate myself for loving him. I don't hate him. As much as I want to, I can't."

They sat in silence again, each looking down at their desk. It was Harry that broke the silence.

"Well, that's enough of the emotional flashbacks I think," he said cheerily, standing up from his desk. "We really do have messed up families, don't we?"

Nikki laughed at the smile on Harry's face as he picked up his coffee and made his way back to the kitchen. And just like that, their serious conversation was over with again. She knew that Harry didn't like to dwell on the past, which suited her just fine. They both had far too many problems in their past to concentrate on them. If they did, there was no way that they would be able to keep their sanity. Hungary had been bad enough, and Nikki could tell that Harry still wasn't fully over what had happened. He still hadn't managed to lock away the memories at the back of his mind and throw away the key. And truthfully, neither had Nikki.

She couldn't help but worry that that may not be the best solution for their problems. Sooner or later, there would be too many memories stored there, and then what? What would happen if the key was found or there was no room to fit any more memories in? There would be no way of getting Harry back if the door burst open, not with everything that had happened to him.

Would she be the same? How long could she keep her feelings locked away before they took over? She had been close to that place before, and she never wanted to go back.

"So," she said loudly so Harry would hear, wanting to distract herself from the thoughts that were threatening to consume her, and playing with the tacky side of the post-it note that had been on her desk from Harry. "When are you going to buy me this unique, irreplaceable mug then?"

Harry appeared from the kitchen.

"When you promise to leave my desk alone," he smirked.

Nikki pretended to think this over, chewing on the end of her pen.

"Never," she smiled, shaking her head and heard Harry's laughter as he entered the kitchen again.

She waited until she could hear the water running in the sink and turned back to her report.

"If you want something that badly, you need to fight for it," she whispered to herself, her mind drifting away again from the subject of Harry's desk and towards something much more complicated.

How had a stupid broken mug managed to bring back so many memories? And not ones that she was happy about remembering either. They were of her time in South Africa after her dad left. After her mother's death. Of when he had phoned her from prison. His broken promises and deception. When she had felt most alone in the world. It was only Harry's humming from the kitchen that seemed to stop her from drifting away completely.

The past really was a dangerous place to visit.

Because that was the one place that she had to visit alone. There was no way that she would ever let Harry get involved in her problems, he had enough of his to worry about as it was.

Maybe locking the memories away and burying the key too deep to ever reach really was the best thing to do...


	21. Chapter 21  Smiles

**I wasn't planning on putting this up now, but I really should be revising, so I thought I'd upload now, then go back to the books :P**

**Just another shortish one that's still setting up for whats to come... I've written most of the later chapters, but the yellow brick road to get there is longer than I imagined :)**

**THANK YOU, as always to everyone reading :)**

**And to gem.S, EmmaJ1996, Lizziginne, pinkswallowsun, dinabar and Thyqua... huge hugs are being sent your way :D**

**Oh, and I promise, no matter what else happens in this fic, Harry will NOT be with Julia at the end :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 21 - Smiles

"I want a full list of everyone who has been reported missing in the last three months," Maddox shouted through the office to no one in particular.

Immediately three officers began rapidly typing on their computers, as if trying to compete with each other to find the results first although they had received little information from the DCI.

Maddox's presence in the office was undeniable. He liked to ensure that his authority was felt by everyone, and as a result, most of his colleagues kept their distance unless necessary. He had been a DCI for nearly nine years, and not once had he gone for after work drinks or attended an office get together, and that was exactly how he wanted it to stay.

He loathed social gatherings. He had no interest in the personal lives of his colleagues, and there was no way that he would even think about sharing any of his personal problems with someone from the office.

He liked to keep his personal life personal. Simple as that.

He just wished that his colleagues felt the same way. If he had to listen to one more person complain about their other half, or their children, or their neighbours dog barking at three in the morning… such trivial matters should not enter the work place, especially one where such serious matters were discussed.

He had worked with countless colleagues in the time he had been in the police force, some better than others, and yet it was only now that he seemed happy with his team. They all kept out of his way, only talking to him when they had found relevant information on a case, and were good at using their initiative to solve difficult cases without needing the reassurance from Maddox that they had done the right thing. Even Maddox could see that a few of them were destined to go far in the police force.

But there was one member of the team that Maddox did not get on with…

"Why are you interested in the missing person's files?" Shaw's voice carried across the office and Maddox felt irritated immediately.

To put it simply, Shaw was a royal pain in the arse.

He was liked in the office. Maddox could see it, especially with the female members of the team. His position meant that he was easily accepted with his male colleagues, and his casual sense of humour was appreciated by most.

From a physical perspective, Shaw and Maddox weren't too different. Shaw was possibly taller than he was, yet his shoulders weren't so broad, and his presence wasn't as immediately noticeable. Shaw was one of those people who seemed to constantly have a sickly sweet smile on his face, and Maddox had the impression that he was one of the few people who could see just how false the smile really was.

To say that they were like chalk and cheese was an understatement.

"The last time I looked Shaw," Maddox almost growled as he turned to face the detective. "I was the one running this place. What I want with the missing persons files has nothing to do with you."

"Wow," Shaw threw his hands up above his head, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "It was only a harmless question."

He could see Shaw roll his eyes at Angela, one of the officers who were currently flicking through case files, who giggled as he passed her desk.

Although Shaw was at least ten years younger than him, it was that kind of behaviour that really irritated Maddox. Shaw could crack a joke about a murder investigation, or prance through the office as if it were a playground, and yet he still seemed to hold the respect of his colleagues. He knew that Shaw was a good Detective, he just didn't like some of his methods.

"Oh and while your at it," Shaw announced to no one in particular. "Print me off a copy too please. I want to try and work out which blonde we're going to find next."

Shaw seemed to make a loop of the office and returned at Maddox's side again, his arms crossed.

"Finally realised that there's a connection have you Shaw," Maddox muttered under his breath so the rest of the office wouldn't hear. "I could have told you that days ago."

"How I run this investigation has nothing to do with you," Shaw replied, his voice equally quiet. "I'll have you know that we have many possible leads already. I still don't know what you'll gain from having the missing person's report for the Yates' case though. I highly doubt that someone from the list was involved in a lover's quarrel that went too far."

"Well like you said," Maddox turned to face Shaw. "I'd like to work out which one will be found next. But surely, if you have so many leads, you'll be able to stop that from happening, won't you. And stay out the Yates' case."

Turning on his heels, Maddox made his way to the exit before shouting over his shoulder for the office to hear.

"Full list, on my desk in the next five minutes."

* * *

'Drinks tonight? J x'

Harry smiled as he red the short text on his way into the Lyell Centre, typing a quick reply back that consisted of the single word 'Sure.'

Since Hungary, Harry had refused to let any of his one night stands turn into anything close to a relationship. He wasn't ready to let himself get emotionally attached to someone again, not after what had happened to the last woman that he had given himself to. Looking back at the situation, and what he had had, just seemed to confuse him even more.

Had he loved Anna? He wasn't sure. He'd wanted to love her, but whether he had got to that stage he was still unsure. He'd never had the chance to find out properly.

Was he even capable of loving someone? Yes. There were people who he truly loved. His mother of course. And Leo – he was like a father to him. And his father too he had loved, despite everything. And then there was Nikki… Now that was where it got complicated.

But it was far too early in the morning for his brain to try and work out that puzzle. He had been trying for seven years and hadn't gotten anywhere, so there was no point in confusing himself today. Nikki was his best friend, and he loved her like he would a sister. That is, that's what he thought it must be like. Not having a sister to compare the feelings to…

Buzzing himself into the office, he threw off his coat and quickly scanned the workplace before knocking once and entering Leo's office.

"I just thought I'd let you know," he announced proudly before Leo had the chance to say anything. "That although I am technically five minutes late, I am in fact here before Nikki."

"Nikki's in the cutting room. Has been for half an hour," Leo smirked. "She even brought us coffee, but yours has probably gone cold by now."

"Oh," Harry smiled. "Well then, I'll go do some work. I don't want the teacher's pet to get all the praise."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Leo muttered as Harry left, making his way directly to the observatory balcony.

'This is not stalkerish' Harry told himself as he watched Nikki examining the body of Rebecca Hall, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. There was something about the way she worked that had always mesmerised Harry, and he could never work out what it was.

"Nice of you to join us today," Nikki said suddenly, not looking up, and Harry smiled.

How did she do that?

"I was only five minutes late actually," Harry replied. "I think that's quite an achievement."

"So you thought you'd watch me work rather than doing any yourself?" she asked seriously, but Harry could see the small smile on her lips.

"Yep," Harry said casually.

"Did you see anything you liked?" Nikki asked him playfully, finally looking up to where he was slouched in a chair by the window.

"Oh lots," Harry winked and Nikki's giggles seemed to echo through the lab. He loved that sound…

"So," he said, leaning forward in his chair. "Find anything new?"

"No," Nikki sighed. "Not really. It just seems more brutal every time I look. The bruises on her neck where she was strangled…"

Nikki trailed off, looking at the body again.

"There's lots of them," Harry finished. "And dead bodies don't bruise."

"Exactly," Nikki nodded. "There's no doubt that the cause of death was strangulation, but I don't think it was the first time she had been held down that way. Between that and the single deep stab wound."

"They were tortured," Harry said, running a hand over his chin. "But why?"

"I don't know," Nikki sighed again, pulling off her gloves and throwing them in the sink.

Harry's phone sounded from his pocket again and he pulled it out, opening the message.

'Pub or your place? x'

Harry could feel Nikki watching him as he locked his phone and dropped it back into his pocket without a reply.

"If that was Julia, then say yes," she said seriously.

There she was, doing it again. 'She must have telepathy skills' Harry thought.

"Why would that be Julia?" he asked innocently, but Nikki rolled her eyes.

"I'm not blind Harry," she stated. "You like her. And usually I'd say to stay clear because she's involved in the case you're dealing with, but I haven't seen you smile like you have been since… well, in a long time."

"I smile all the time," Harry protested.

"Yes, but there's different kinds of smiles Harry," Nikki said, leaning against the sink. "And this one suits you. You deserve to be happy. You just need to let go and give it a chance. You're strong enough to move on if it all falls apart later."

"You're confidence in me is startling," Harry laughed but Nikki remained serious.

"You like her," she said. "I can tell by the way you talk about her. How she seems to enter the conversation even if it has nothing to do with the Yates' case. You deserve to be happy Harry, you just need to let yourself."

Since when did Nikki get so serious about his love life? Harry watched her closely, waiting for her to continue, but instead she turned towards the door to the changing rooms.

"Just remember to keep Friday nights free," she called before she disappeared from Harry's view.

Taking out his mobile, Harry stared at the last message from Julia, his mind in overdrive. He had not been expecting a lecture from his best friend this morning. The very best friend that he had been trying to work out his feeling for, for as long as he could remember. But that just proved it, didn't it? She had tried to convince Harry to be happy, with another woman…

'Mine' he text back, before taking a long breath and leaving the balcony.


	22. Chapter 22 The Game

**To all those amazing people reading, this one is to prove that there is actually an idea under all the Harry/Nikkiness :) Thank you for hanging in there :)**

**And a MASSIVE thank you to pinkswallowsun, gem.S, EmmaJ1996, Thyqua and Lizziginne - you are even more than amazing :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 22 – The Game

"This is getting boring," the deep male voice sounded down the phone. "You know that I don't like to get bored."

"I'm sorry," the female voice answered shakily. "Just tell me what you want me to do? I'll make it happen."

"Oh but it's not as simple as that, is it?" he asked rhetorically. "I need to make sure that you're not going to ruin everything with a rushed decision."

There was a pause, the only noise that of the rapid breathing from the female who pressed the phone close to her ear.

"How many have we got?" he asked eventually.

There was another pause.

"Eight," she answered. "Oh no, no it's seven."

"See what I mean?" he laughed, the sound sending shivers down her spine. "Which one is it, seven or eight? How can I trust you if you don't even know the simple facts?"

"It's seven, definitely seven," she said, stuttering over her words.

"Hmmm," he mumbled. "Are they all working?"

"Six are," she answered, the certainty back in her voice. "I had to stop one of them. She was getting too emotional. The client wasn't happy with her and refused to pay."

"Well then, you know what to do with her, don't you?" he asked slowly, as if he were asking a small child their times tables.

"But we've already got rid of two of them in the last three days," she stammered, the worry back in her voice. "We waited weeks after the first one, why don't we leave it a little longer? Maybe I can get her to work again?"

"That's still boring though, isn't it?" he said. "The police have no idea what they're dealing with. What's the use of playing the game if not everyone knows the rules?"

"So, you _want _the police to know what's going on?" she asked startled. "That we did it?"

"Not _who _did it," he answered. "I just want them to realise what fun we're having. We are having fun, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," she whispered, a small smile on her lips. "I think I have an idea."

"Good," he said sternly. "Just don't mess it up. Talking of screw ups…"

"I'm dealing with it," she said quickly.

"You better be," the growled down the receiver. "Let me know when you've worked out the new plot for our game. You know what number to contact me on."

"Yes," she said, before the line went dead.

Another rule. Another twist. And this time, she had been given the honour of designing it. This game just got better and better…

* * *

"You've been quiet all morning," Harry stated as Nikki peered down the microscope.

"There's a difference between quiet and busy Harry," Nikki answered without looking up. "And you seem to be neither."

Harry started to tap his fingers on his desk, but Nikki could tell that he was still watching her. Giving up trying to concentrate, she spun around in her chair so she was facing him.

"What?" she asked bluntly. "Just say it Harry. I know you're wanting to say something."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to think better of it and closed it again.

"Well," he said carefully. "It's just that- Julia is coming round tonight."

"Good," Nikki smiled, although she could feel how much she had to force the smile to her lips.

She could tell that Julia made Harry happy. And if there was one thing that Harry deserved in life it was happiness. She just wished she was the one good enough for him. She had always wanted to be the one that Harry chose, but she knew that that could never happen. It had been seven years, if he was interested she would know by know.

There had been that one time a few years ago, where she had allowed herself to dream of a future with Harry. That one small, casual yet perfect kiss in a warm pub… She had let her hopes flutter around her when they had got back to the office, obviously flirting with him at every opportunity. And then Penny had happened… and things changed again. Everything went back to normal. And since then, every time that her hopes had tried to take flight, she had stamped on them before they had got the chance.

No, Nikki Alexander would never be chosen by Harry Cunningham. They were best friends, knew everything about each other, could annoy each other all day and still watch a film together… There was no way that she would ever risk all that, and that's why her feelings had to be locked away with all the other things that could damage the relationship that they had.

Anyway, if Harry and Julia worked out, then Harry would be happy. And that's what he deserved. And if it didn't work out, then Nikki would be there for him with a bottle of wine and a sympathetic ear to tell him that she 'wasn't the right one' for him.

"You're doing it again," Harry waved a hand in front of him in Nikki's direction and she blinked at him, focusing on his waving hand.

"Doing what?" she frowned.

"Zoning out," he laughed, leaning back in his chair and drumming his fingers along the desk again. "So what do you think?"

Nikki stared at Harry and he laughed.

"I knew you weren't listening. Do you think I should wear my blue or black shirt?"

Nikki had always preferred the blue one. It seemed to make him look smart yet casual at the same time, complimenting his skin tone perfectly. And it was tighter. Which meant that his defined chest muscles were more noticeable…

"Black," she smiled. Ok, so Julia made him happy, and yes she had probably already seen his bare chest for herself, but Nikki liked to think that she could still keep a little of Harry for herself. That blue shirt had been in many of her dreams, and she didn't want Julia to have the opportunity to see him in it too…

"You are ok with this, aren't you?" Harry asked seriously.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" Nikki smiled back, turning back to the microscope so Harry wouldn't be able to see the doubt in her eyes.

It was seconds before Harry started to quicken the tempo of the drumming, his fingers moving rapidly across the desk.

"Harry will you please stop that and finish your report," Nikki sighed eventually as he seemed to get louder and louder.

"How do you know I have a report to finish?" he asked playfully.

Nikki raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, yet she couldn't hide the smile from her lips.

"Your desk is tidy," she stated, nodding her head in the direction of his workspace.

"So. That doesn't prove anything," Harry retorted. "So is yours!"

"Only because you tidied it," she giggled. "Which means you really do have a report to finish."

Harry seemed to think this over before leaning forward and taking the report from the top of his ever growing to-do pile.

"True," he smiled. "And so have you. Get on with it and stop distracting me."

* * *

"Can I stop at yours on the way home?" Nikki asked Harry as they were packing up. "I think I left my mascara in your bathroom last week."

"Sure," Harry smiled. "Don't you have another one in that Mary Poppins bag if yours?"

"Probably," Nikki smiled. "But I think Julia would be worried if she thought you wore mascara, don't you?"

"Oh I don't know," Harry smirked. "All the Emu kids are doing it, aren't they?"

Nikki giggled.

"Emo," Nikki emphasised with a giggle. "As in emotional… You have a lot to learn Harry. I've told you, you're not as young as you think you are."

"Shut up," Harry said, shoving her in the direction of the door and waving through the glass to Leo who was on the phone again.

Nikki had followed Harry to his apartment trying not to think of the reason why she was going. She knew that once she was there, she wouldn't want to leave, and yet she couldn't stay tonight. It was because of her that Julia was seeing Harry, and she suddenly hated herself for giving him the idea. 'But Harry deserves to be happy' she told herself the entire journey. 'And he's not happy enough when he's with me.'

Once there, Nikki had made her way straight to the bathroom to retrieve her mascara, but Harry had stopped her as she made her way back to the front door.

"Julia won't be here for another few hours," he said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the sofa. "Do you want a drink before you go?"

"Go on then," she smiled, happy for the excuse to stay. "Coffee."

They sat beside each other, both with a warm mug in their hands as Harry started to tell Nikki about Julia and her family.

"I need your opinion tomorrow," Harry said. "On the Yates' case. I've been looking through the crime scene images that I got from Maddox and need you to look over them too."

"Sure," Nikki nodded.

She watched Harry closely as he started to talk about Julia again, but she wasn't focusing on anything he was saying. It wasn't until the hot liquid spilled over the top of her mug and on to her hand that she realised that she had been tipping her mug as she watched him.

Jumping as the liquid made contact, she threw her arm up instinctively, knocking Harry's elbow and splashing his coffee down his jeans.

They both jumped up from the sofa at the same time, but it was Harry who was first to the kitchen to grab a towel, handing it to Nikki.

"Did you burn yourself?" he asked her as she rubbed her hand.

"Only a little," she replied. "It'll be fine after I've run it under the cold water. What about you? I'm really sorry."

"Nah I'm fine," Harry smiled, taking her by the hand and holding it under the tap as the cold water splashed her skin. "I think it managed to cool down by the time it got to my leg."

They were silent as Harry held her hand under the water, before turning the tap back off and examining her skin.

"No damage," he smiled, guiding her back to the sofa and pushing her shoulders until she was sitting on the couch again.

"I'm going for a shower," he smirked, dabbing at the wet patch in his jeans. "Just sit there and don't cause any more trouble."

Nikki smiled as she watched him leave, running her fingers along the numb area on her skin from the cold water. Within minutes of the sound of water running from the bathroom, Harry's phone began to ring from the table, the name flashing clearly across the front.

Nikki hesitated. She didn't really want to talk to Julia, she'd rather just leave it to ring out. But the persistent noise continued, and sighing, she picked it up and pressed the call button.

"Dr Harry Cunningham's phone," she said as casually as she could.

"Oh," Julia said, surprise in her voice. "Is Harry around?"

"He's in the shower," Nikki replied, looking in the direction if the bathroom. "Can I take a message for you?"

"No, no, it's fine," Julia sighed. "I didn't realise he had a- It doesn't matter."

Nikki frowned.

"Had a what?" she asked before she could stop herself. There was a pause before Julia spoke.

"I didn't know he was seeing someone," Julia said almost resentfully.

"Really?" Nikki said quickly. "Who?"

There was another pause, and Nikki suddenly realised what Julia had meant as she laughed at her own blindness to the situation.

"Oh," she smiled. "I think we've got our lines crossed. I'm not his girlfriend. I'm just a friend from work. I was just picking up some things on my way home."

"I see," Julia replied, her voice instantly softer. "In that case can you let him know that I'm running a little late and will be there about nine?"

"Sure," Nikki agreed.

There was a quick 'bye' from Julia before she hung up.

Nikki sat back in the sofa, Harry's phone still in her hand. 'Best friends' she thought to herself. 'We wouldn't hide anything from each other…'

She unlocked his phone again and quickly searched through his messages inbox, smiling to herself when she realised that most of them were from her. And they seemed to date months back, as if he hadn't deleted a single one.

Harry appeared from the shower ten minutes later as Nikki continued to read through the old messages that she had sent him, rubbing his hair with his towel and wearing his loose black shirt.

"Julia phoned," she announced, glancing up briefly from his phone. "She's going to be late. Will be here about nine."

"Thanks," Harry said, as he shook his damp hair from his eyes. "Is that my phone?"

"Ah ha," Nikki nodded and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yes Nikki, of course you can look into every little detail of my life Nikki, even my personal messages. It doesn't bother me in the slightest," Harry smirked, sarcasm oozing from his word.

"Ok," Nikki smiled in return before looking back at him and frowning. "One question though. Why am I in your phonebook as 'Jam'?"

"I thought you'd appreciate it more than tart," Harry smirked, taking the phone from her hands and throwing his damp towel over her head.


	23. Chapter 23  Post

**Sorry once again. I feel this has been neglected because of revision, but I couldn't sleep, feel awful and just had one of those days, so thought I'd update, even though it's now 2:35am... Hmmm... I'm not a morning person, this could be interesting :P **

**And**** I have a revision class tomorrow morning, then work and then have to drive across the island straight after work (OK, so the Isle of Man is only 36 miles long, and I actually only need to drive 15 miles, but I can't be bothered :P ) - Oh well, I think I'm used to surviving on little sleep by now :)**

**Anyway, I'll stop complaining now. THANK YOU to everyone still reading :D**

**And to Ann1119, EmmaJ1996, Lizziginne, Thyqua, pinkswallowsun and gem.S - thank you times a million! Hugs being sent yet again :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 23 – Post

"Morning," Nikki smiled at Leo as she entered the office, her coat damp from the rain that had began to fall as soon as she stepped out the front door.

"Morning," Leo replied. "You're in early."

"Says you," she laughed. "And just how long have you been here already?"

"I have a lot to catch up on," Leo sighed, flicking through a case that was on his desk. "And Janet had to be up early this morning anyway, so I thought I'd make an early start."

"Coffee?" Nikki called as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Please," Leo's voice drifted through the workspace as he leant over his desk.

The case on his desk had sat open for the last half hour, and yet the more he looked at it, the less he seemed to know. Three young women, all found murdered in the same way, and yet there was no DNA evidence to be found.

Absolutely no evidence, despite the fact that each women had been raped at some point before their death… who ever the killer was, they knew exactly how to ensure that there was nothing to be found.

"I've sent off some samples from the clothing from Rebecca and Lisa so we can cross match the results, see if there's any similarities that may be important," Nikki stated as she set the coffee down in front of Leo. "There has to be something left behind. Something that can give us a lead. They were held for weeks before they were murdered, while they were tortured, and it could have been the same place for all of them."

"Give it to the end of the day. If you don't hear back from the lab then prioritise the results. I have a horrible feeling that the body count is far from over," Leo sighed as he leant back in his chair.

Nikki nodded slowly, but didn't say anything as she made her way from his office, leaving Leo alone with the case notes once again.

Leo could see that the case was getting to Nikki. She was always in earlier than usual on cases like this one, and Leo could see the shadows under her eyes that were beginning to darken from lack of sleep. She knew how many people were affected by the case. How many families had been torn apart, and she knew as well as he did that they were no where near finding the evidence to catch the killer.

What she didn't know however, was just how much the case had been playing over in Leo's mind. She didn't know that Leo had slipped out the house that morning leaving Janet asleep in bed, just so he could go over the results once again. But it was Leo that couldn't understand why this case was getting to him so much.

It was hours before the buzzer sounded, and the heavy footsteps entered the offices.

"Nice of you to join us," Leo shouted without looking up. He knew that Harry would turn up sooner or later, and he didn't need to look up to know that he would be wearing his I'm-hungover-leave-me-alone look.

"Yeah yeah, I know," Harry chuckled as he passed Leo's office door and towards the kitchen.

Leo smiled to himself. There was no point in reprimanding Harry for his lateness again. Nikki was sure to do that for him. And he knew that there was more chance of Harry listening to her than there was to him.

* * *

"You're late," Nikki announced, crossing her arms across her chest. "But I really shouldn't be surprised any more, should I?"

"I'm only-" Harry paused, looking at his watch. "Wow, I _am_ late. I'm sure it was only nine when I left the house."

"It probably was," Nikki smiled. "But I bet you stopped off at the café on the way with Julia didn't you? And you know what the woman in there is like. Mrs what's-her-name. She loves to know everyone's business, and you just can't help flirting with her."

"Mrs Travis. And I don't flirt with her," Harry blurted out. "She's about sixty!"

"You flirt," she said simply, turning towards her computer. "You just don't realise it. Anyway, you were probably too preoccupied with Julia this morning to notice anyone else in the café."

"Is that jealousy I can sense?" Harry teased, a smile playing on his lips.

"Jealousy," Nikki laughed loudly. "You're having a laugh aren't you? As if I would be jealous."

"Liar," Harry stepped closer and whispered in her ear. "You're playing with you're nails, I can always tell when you're lying."

"I do that all the time!" Nikki protested, stepping away from him, trying to stop her giggling.

"Yeah, but you do it even more when you're not telling me the truth," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"It will be a very dark day when I am jealous of your love life Harry Cunningham," Nikki said quietly as she stepped towards Harry again. "You look a mess by the way. And I can smell the alcohol from here."

"Charming," Harry chuckled.

"I'm guessing it was a late night then," Nikki said as casually as she could, trying to keep all interest out of her voice.

"Yeah, I suppose it was. But she didn't go to the café with me, she got a phone call to go into work this morning," Harry smiled. "I can't remember the last time I saw that unsociable time of the night without being at a crime scene though."

"I know I keep saying it Harry, but you really are older than you think you are," Nikki raised her eyebrows as she smirked. "And you need all the beauty sleep you can get just to be able to function when you get to work."

Harry opened his mouth to argue before holding a finger up in Nikki's direction.

"Hold that thought," he mumbled before running in the direction of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and leaving Nikki giggling.

* * *

Leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom just as Harry had done the previous week, Nikki knocked on the door.

"Piss off Nikki," Harry's voice sounded from within.

"Charming Harry," she laughed. "What a nice way to treat the friend who is checking up on you."

"You're doing nothing of the sort," Harry mumbled. "You're gloating."

"True," Nikki nodded on the other side of the door as the sound of Harry retching from inside continued.

"Do you want me to hold your hair?" she said through the door, echoing Harry's words from the time where the roles had been reversed.

"Didn't I tell you to piss off?" Harry laughed, and Nikki grinned widely.

"I think you possibly did, yeah," she said seriously. "But this is so much fun."

The sound of the toilet flushing and the running of the taps sounded from within.

"You can't pull a sickie for a hangover by the way," Nikki called through the door.

"I'm not hung over," Harry replied as the door opened and Nikki found herself face to face with him. "I think I'm still drunk."

Nikki giggled again, rolling her eyes.

"Don't tell Leo," he said quietly, glancing round the corner to Leo's office. "My head is sore enough as it is without him telling me how important it is to be on time. And believe me, I've heard that speech enough to last me a lifetime."

"And whose fault is that?" Nikki asked rhetorically as she made her way through to the offices, letting Harry follow her.

"I hope you didn't drive in this morning," Leo said, raising his eyebrows as they walked around the corner.

"Of course not," Harry smirked as Leo leant against Nikki's desk. "Unlike _some_, I do not drive whilst over the limit, even if it would only be by a tiny amount by now."

Leo glared at Harry's reference.

"Just because you haven't been caught," Leo said, tilting his head. "Doesn't mean that you've never done it. I know what you're like."

"I'd never do anything of the sort," Harry said, pretending to be hurt at his words. "And no, I got a taxi here. Well, to the café down the road, but it was near enough."

Leo shook his head disapprovingly as Zak entered the offices.

"Post," he announced, holding it up as he got closer.

Leo held out his hand and thanked Zak as he left again before scanning through the envelopes and dropping them on Nikki's desk.

"All addressed to the pathology unit," Leo said before standing up straight. "Look though them will you Nikki? I think you're the only one who is up to date with the reports. Just for a change."

"Will do," Nikki nodded as Harry disappeared in the direction of the bathroom again at speed.

"And make sure you're really loud today," Leo smirked. "I think we should make him suffer for his little escapade last night, don't you?"

"Oh you're cruel," Nikki giggled. "But I totally agree."

Sitting down at her desk, Nikki leafed through the envelopes that Leo had just dropped on top of her once clear work space. There wasn't many, just the usual A4 envelopes that were bound to hold report confirmation letters from the coroner, as well as a few from the police department. But there was one envelope that was much smaller, with a slightly yellow tinge in the colouring that seemed to catch her eye.

Discarding the other envelopes in her in-tray, she carefully slid her finger under the flap on the back and tore the paper open. At first the envelope seemed to be empty, but after moving her fingers around the inside, Nikki eventually felt the stiff edge of something thin inside. Taking out her hand again, Nikki was surprised to see her fingertips tainted a dark red, and the smell was instantly recognisable.

To most people, they wouldn't be able to smell a thing, but when you worked as a pathologist, the smell of blood was something you got very used to, and something you could distinguish very quickly.

Dropping the envelope on her desk again, she quickly stood up, stepping away from her desk.

"Leo," she called loudly, noticing the shaking of her voice as she kept her eyes glued to the envelope.

Leo appeared at the door in seconds, and was standing at her desk before she managed to tear her eyes away. She could see his eyes widen at the blood on her fingertips as she held out a shaking hand to point at the envelope.

"Go wash your hands, quickly," Leo said hastily, pulling out a pair of surgical gloves from his back pocket.

Nikki walked slowly in the direction of the bathroom, meeting Harry at the door whose smile quickly slid off his lips at the look in her eyes.

"Are you hurt?" he asked worryingly, taking the hand that she was holding in front of her in his.

"No," she shook her head. "The envelope…blood."

"Nikki you're not making any sense," Harry said slowly as Nikki pulled her hand away and walked into the bathroom, running her fingers under the hot water and scrubbing them with soap until her skin turned red.

Harry was waiting for her when she stepped back out the bathroom, and he wordlessly wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked back to the desks.

Leo was holding a small flat object between a set of tweezers, turning it over to study both sides as he held it up to the light.

"It's a playing card," Leo stated as he notices his colleagues presence. "A 'Happy Families' playing card to be precise."

The expression on Leo's face was a mixture of disgust and shock as he held it out in front of Harry and Nikki.

The card was covered in blood, yet the smiling image of the slightly grotesque character underneath was still visible.

'Miss Rolls. The Baker's Daughter.'

Harry swore under his breath as he run a hand through his hair, but Nikki couldn't look anywhere else but at the card that Leo was holding in the tweezers. She had read and re-read the case report so many times that she knew every last detail. She had met the family, she had promised her parents…

"Ruby Wilson," Nikki whispered and she could feel both Harry and Leo's eyes on her. "Her dad was a baker at a local supermarket… the blood…"

"I'll send a sample off for analysis as well as the card for finger prints," Leo sighed, placing the card back in the envelope. "Nikki, phone Shaw and tell him to get here as soon as he can."


	24. Chapter 24  Piecing together

**I'm sorry this has taken so long again... Exams are evil things!**

**I've been trying to write this all day, but it seems like my mind is now used to working at 3am instead of a normal time :P ****Hope it's not too terrible. I have about six chapters finished for later on... still trying to get there :)**

**As ever, a huge thank you to everyone sticking with this. And a massive THANK YOU to: pinkswallowsun, Lizziginne, Thyqua, gem.S, EmmaJ1996, dinabar and Starr123 (both your reviews :D ) - you really are the best :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 24 – Piecing together…

After trying repeatedly for five minutes, her fingers shaking uncontrollably as she typed the number into the phone, Shaw answered his mobile before it rang through to voicemail. Nikki knew that she could only explain it once, and she did not want to do it to an answering machine.

"Detective Shaw," he answered, a slight annoyance in his voice.

"Shaw, it's Nikki Alexander. Sorry to bother you, but we need you here. Now," Nikki said quickly.

"Nikki," he replied, all annoyance now lost. "What's wrong? You sound flustered."

"I'll explain when you get here," Nikki said. "It's probably easier if I show you."

"I'm on my way," Shaw said quietly. "I'll be there within the next half hour."

Nikki sighed heavily as she replaced the phone on her desk, and leant her head against her hands.

"It might not be Ruby's," Harry's voice sounded from behind her, but she simply shook her head without looking up.

"We all know that this is not a coincidence," she muttered into her hands. "The killer is mocking us. Making us look stupid."

She sat up to look at Harry who was standing right behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"What's the chance that we'll find anything after the analysis?" she asked shakily. "Just think about it Harry. There was no evidence on the bodies. Nothing at all. The killer knows what they're doing. Do you really think that they're going to lick the envelope closed? Or touch the card and leave us a fingerprint? Because I highly doubt it."

Nikki could feel the tears in her eyes and was furious with herself for getting so caught up. Rule number one: never, ever get personally involved in a case. She had told herself over and over again, and it never seemed to work. Ruby, Rebecca, Lisa… the killer didn't care about them. He didn't show them any compassion in the last hours of their life. He had tortured them. Abused them. Abandoned them. All Nikki was doing was helping to ensure that the families got the closure they deserved. And that the twisted individual was stopped before more innocent lives were taken.

"Just wait for the results, ok?" Harry said gently. "We've seen it before. When they think that they're safe, that they won't be found, they start to make mistakes. Just wait for the lab to send back the results from the clothing as well. If there's anything to be found they'll find it."

Nikki nodded slowly and turned away again, taking a deep breath to compose herself before Shaw arrived. No matter how she was feeling, she knew that she had to look in control in front of the police. That part was easy, it was hiding the feelings from Leo and Harry that she knew was near impossible. Harry in particular always seemed to be able to find the truth between the cracks in her carefully constructed composure.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Harry, Nikki, Leo and Shaw were sat around the long table in the conference room in silence, the scanned images of the card and envelope clearly displayed on the screen.

"How long ago was Ruby Wilson found?" Shaw asked eventually, breaking the silence.

"Twenty three days," Nikki said quietly without looking away from the screen.

"And they'd all been missing a couple of weeks before they were found?" Shaw asked again and Harry nodded in his direction.

"The media are starting to piece all of this together now too," Leo sighed. "The newspapers are full of stories linking the girls together."

"But they don't know about this?" Shaw asked, pointing to the images on the screen.

"Of course not," Leo answered as if he had just been accused of a crime himself. "We're not really in the habit of divulging police evidence to the press."

Harry noticed the look that Nikki shot Leo, but Leo missed it as he moved towards the screen.

"We had our lab analyse the blood sample immediately," Leo pointed out. "The blood does belong to Ruby Wilson. They're currently looking for any other DNA samples, but so far nothing has been found."

"But how did her blood get there if she died over three weeks ago?" Shaw said as he watched the screen. "Is that a finger print near the top?"

"Yeah, mine," Nikki said quietly, and Harry could see the distant look in her eyes that had been there earlier that year. There was another case that she had gotten caught up in completely. A case that had left her emotionally drained. Harry doubted whether Nikki understood just how concerned for her he had been, and that was before the whole Silverlake involvement. She also didn't know that Harry happened to have come across the prescription anti-depressants she had been given during one of their film nights while she was in the shower, and he could tell that she had not taken any. Although he was happy at the idea she had managed to sort out her mental state without the use of the drugs, her resistance to even try them did worry him. It was times like this, when he could see the same distant expression in her eyes, that he began to worry that everything was going to become too much again.

"So, the blood hadn't dried when you got it?" Shaw asked slowly, as if he was finding it difficult to piece together what had happened.

"No," Nikki said quietly, eventually turning to look at Shaw. "No it hadn't. I had to wash it off my fingers. It must have been put there just before it was sent to us."

"And there's no stamp on the envelope," Harry added, and he could see Shaw narrow his eyebrows.

"They posted it themselves. The killer was here," Shaw muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"Like we're being taunted," Leo sighed again. "I've asked Janet Mander to come in later today to help us. She's a Criminal Profiler and should be able to help us work out what kind of person we're dealing with."

"I have a fair idea already," Harry heard Nikki mutter quietly.

"We've also got someone looking over the CCTV cameras to try and find anyone who could have slipped the envelope in with our post," Leo continued.

"Well, I have a list of the all the people that have been reported missing in the last three months at the station," Shaw said as he stood up from the table. "There's an officer looking at them now, narrowing down the results to compile a list of anyone who matches the description of the girls that we've found already."

"That's brilliant," Harry said shortly. "At least we'll be able to name the next victim quicker then."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Shaw shot back, and Harry could feel the anger in his chest rise.

"I'm just saying," Harry said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. "Having a list of every potential next victim is all well and good, but it doesn't stop the killer from repeatedly murdering innocent woman, after he has tortured them. I mean, how do you think that he still has some of Ruby Wilson's blood after three weeks. He's a sick bastard that's having fun at our expense. He knows that we don't have anything to give us a lead."

"So you'd rather I had my officers wonder the streets in case someone happens to look like a murderer, rather than search for any clues or similarities on the other girls that have gone missing?" Shaw asked, raising his voice slightly. "Like you said Dr Cunningham, we have no leads."

Harry opened his mouth to answer back but Leo interjected before he had the chance.

"We need to wait for the entire lab results to come back," Leo said loudly, and both Harry and Shaw stopped, yet their eyes remained locked in confrontation. "Hopefully we'll know more then."

"Yeah, hopefully," Shaw said, before turning away from Harry and making his way to the door. "Let me know what you find out, I need to get back to the office."

Harry saw Nikki nod as Shaw passed her and let out a long breath as the detective disappeared round the corner.

"It's a difficult case for everybody Harry," Leo said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Just remember that the police _are_ doing everything they can, even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment."

Harry remained silent, not trusting himself to say anything as Leo made his way out the conference room, leaving Harry and Nikki alone with the image of the blood soaked playing card on the screen. Nikki had hardly moved since they had first sat down, and her expression was so hard to read it scared him. He knew Nikki's mind was full of as many horrors as his was, and he worried about her constantly. It wasn't good to dwell on good and evil, not in their line of work.

"Nikki," he said quietly.

Nikki turned to him at the sound of her voice, and Harry could instantly see the hurt in her eyes, knowing that that's exactly what Nikki was thinking about. It was the same look that had been there when she had to perform the post mortem of the eight year old girl. The one that had been caught up in the Silverlake case. Good and evil. Innocence and horror. Justice and cruelty.

These women might not have been as vulnerable as an eight year old girl, but there was something so meticulous about the way that they had been murdered… like they were all just part of the killer's master plan. They were just as innocent as that little girl. The only difference was, they had no idea who was behind the cruelty.

And that just meant that there was a very high chance that they would get another phone call very soon to investigate another innocent life that had been taken for no logical reason.

"I hope you have a bottle of wine in your fridge," Nikki tried to smile as she stood up. "Because I know we finished the one in mine at our last film night, and I really need a drink when we're finished here."

"You're not the only one," Harry sighed, as he gently touched Nikki's arm. "And you know I always keep a spare bottle in my fridge for you."

"You make me sound like an alcoholic," Nikki said, raising her eyebrows.

"You're point being," Harry smirked as they left the conference room.

* * *

"What!" the male voice roared down the phone. "Please tell me I just heard that wrong. You can not actually be that stupid!"

"I've told you," the female voice replied slowly, trying to hold the confidence in her voice yet hearing the underlying tremble. "I have everything under control. Don't you trust me?"

"No," the male replied bluntly. "Not in the slightest. Trust gets you nowhere. You were supposed to phone me before you did anything! Now I'll be left to clean up your mess again."

"Well I used my initiative. I'm telling you, this will work. I thought you didn't want to be like other boring -"

"I don't. And it is for that reason that I am amazed you were stupid enough to copy their immature methods," he replied. "Who do you think we are? Some idiotic characters from a fiction novel who like to leave a calling card that practically screams 'this is who we are, just dust for fingerprints and you'll catch us.' You do remember how important it is to ensure that there are no fingerprints left anywhere, don't you?"

"Yes," she replied quietly before clearing her throat and speaking a little louder. "Of course I do! And I've told you, you can trust me. I can guarantee you that there were no fingerprints or DNA traces apart from the stuff that belonged to the blonde."

"You better hope not," he replied menacingly. "Because just remember, I can dispose of you whenever I like. Make you look like one of them. Another statistic. Another little part of my game. I can almost see my hands around your throat now…"

"You really don't want to do that," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "You need me to keep this going."

"Don't be too sure," he said with a smirk. "I want you to ring me at five o'clock and not a minute over. To explain every last detail of this stupid rule of yours. I want to know everything before you do anything else that may compromise this."

"I promise you, the police don't have a clue who is involved. And if it looks like they are getting suspicious of either of us at all, I think I know how to direct their attention towards -," she said.

"Don't ever mention the police. Explain everything later, I have a meeting in two minutes," he cut in. "You know what number to use."

And he hung up on her again.


	25. Chapter 25  Lunch

**So, I know I should be revising, but I'm not. Obviously.**

**Actually I should probably be sleeping, but I can't again. Been kind of an eventful day and can't switch off. Probably to do with the fact thatI watched a car three in front of me today drive into a power line and flip over... not fun.**

**Anyway, this is of no relevance so I'll be quiet now :)  
This chapter just kind of happened... I thought Harry and Nikki needed a little break before the chapters that I have written for later on...**

**Thank you to everyone reading as always. And a special thank you to Thyqua, gem.S, EmmaJ1996, freitazal, dinabar, pinkswallowsun and Starr123 - I love**** you all :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 25 - Lunch

"Leo?" Janet answered her mobile almost immediately, and Leo felt guilty at the concern that he heard in her voice. He had spent very little time at home in the past week, and had missed their time together. He had woken early again this morning, leaving Janet asleep in the warmth of their bed as he had made his way back into the office before the other two. He really would need to make it up to her soon. He would buy her flowers on the way home, and maybe pick up a bottle of wine at the same time…

"Hi Janet, sorry I left early again," Leo hastily apologised.

"Don't worry about it Leo. Honestly, I know how bad this case is," Janet said softly.

'What have I done to deserve someone as good as Janet?' he thought to himself. She always seemed to understand.

"It's just got a whole lot worse," Leo sighed, feeling the energy in his body slowly seep away. He felt exhausted, both physically and mentally, and he dreaded to think how Nikki was feeling. He knew how much the case had affected her weeks ago when the first victim was found. Long before they knew that Ruby Wilson was the beginning of something so complex and horrifying.

There was a pause, and Leo knew that Janet was waiting for him to continue. That was another thing he loved about his girlfriend. She never pushed him to speak. She knew that sometimes the best thing to do was stay quiet and wait for Leo to organise his thoughts enough to continue.

"We got an envelope this morning," he sighed heavily. "Some sort of message from the killer I think. Covered in blood from the first victim, Ruby."

"Do you still want me to come in today to try and build a profile on the murderer?" she asked simply.

"Maybe tomorrow," Leo sighed again. "I don't think Detective Shaw will be back today. He had a rather heated discussion with Harry this morning and left pretty quickly."

"Is Harry ok?" Janet asked, and Leo couldn't help but smile. She was so used to him coming home and letting off steam about his two younger colleagues that she had become part of the team herself. A part of their little mixed up family that muddled through life together.

"Yeah, he's fine," Leo smiled down the phone. "Nikki's taken him out for lunch to calm him down. I think they both need to be out the office for a bit."

"You know, I think that will do them both a lot of good," Janet laughed, a certain secret in her laugh that carried through to Leo, and he knew that Janet would be smiling on the other end of the phone.

* * *

"No Nikki, no way. We are not going to _that _café. Mrs Travis does nothing but watch us, and she really creeps me out," Harry moaned as Nikki skipped in front of him.

"The only other place worth going to is a twenty minute walk away," Nikki said, spinning round to look back at Harry.

"Yeah, and Leo said we could take as much time as we wanted," Harry smiled. "Which means we have verbal permission to skive the rest of the afternoon if we wish. You heard it as well as me, didn't you?"

"_If _we were to go to the other place, the one with the fancy bar in the middle, you will just drink too much, turn up to work drunk – for the second time today – annoy Leo, get sent home, drink again and pass out in front of the TV watching a really bad film," Nikki said in one long breath.

"Well, now that you've planned my whole depressing night out for me, I suggest that we go to the café instead and sit in a corner where Mrs Travis won't see us," Harry smirked, and knew instantly that Nikki had once again got her own way.

Taking his hand, Nikki pulled Harry towards the small café that almost hid between two large, dark bricked buildings. Harry smiled at the warmth of her gloved hand in his, and the thoughts that had been running through his head of their current cases were pushed to the back of his mind. He could allow those thoughts to be stored away for an hour surely. An hour to listen to his best friend complain about Mrs Travis watching them, and the fact that her coffee wasn't strong enough, and that Harry's food looked better than hers, even though she always ordered the same thing.

Surely enough, as Nikki pulled them into the warmth of the café, they were greeted immediately by the elderly Mrs Travis, who was wearing the same pin striped red apron with the small tomato ketchup stain on the bottom as she always did, her grey-blue hair pinned back tightly on top of her head, stretching the skin at the side of her eyes slightly.

It wasn't that Harry didn't like Mrs Travis. In all honesty, she was a kind woman who just seemed to enjoy the company of others. But she was one of those people who just had to have their hand on your arm as they were talking to you, and seriously invaded Hharry's personal space every time she greeted him. And not in a good way like Nikki did.

"Ah, Harry, how lovely to see you again," Mrs Travis beamed as soon as Harry was dragged through the door. "Oh and Nikki too. How are you both today?"

Harry smiled politely and tried not to shrug away from the firm hand that she placed on his arm.

"We're both good thanks," Harry said. "Just thought we'd get out the office for a bit."

"Oh, are you two working on that awful case that's in all the newspapers?" Mrs Travis asked as she peered over the top of her glasses. "The one about those poor young girls?"

Who was Harry kidding, thinking that he could shut out the thoughts of the cases for just one hour. Just one hour where he could try and get Nikki to smile again. He had missed that smile the past few days. The one that lit up her eyes and made his heart skip a beat.

"I'm afraid so," Harry nodded as Nikki took his hand again and directed them to the small table in the corner.

"If only she knew," Nikki sighed as they sat down at the table and reached for the menus. "If only she knew how bad this really was."

"Hey, no thinking about that case over lunch, ok?" Harry said, pointing his menu in her direction. "I mean it. I know you Nikki, you won't stop until this does, no matter how long it takes. So just for one hour, you're not allowed to think about that case at all."

Nikki nodded, a small smile playing on her lips, as she directed her attention back to the menu. Which was pointless really. He knew that she would order a black coffee, a toasted tuna sandwich, and a slice of carrot cake for afterwards. How she managed to eat it all considering how small she was had always amazed him.

After sitting in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Mrs Travis appeared at their table again, a small notebook in her hand.

"What can I get you two today then?" she smiled warmly.

"Can I have a black coffee, a toasted tuna sandwich and a slice of carrot cake please," Nikki said without looking back at the menu which she had already placed back in the middle of the table.

"And you Harry," Mrs Travis grinned.

"A black coffee, a cheeseburger, and a portion of chips thanks," he smiled as Mrs Travis scribbled down the order, gave Harry a small wink and disappeared back to the kitchen.

"She's flirting with you again," Nikki giggled as Harry rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should try an older woman the next time, rather than another one that's about half your age. You could be her toy boy."

Harry crossed his arms and leant over the table towards her.

"Speaking of an older model," Harry smirked. "What about Shaw…"

"What about Shaw?" Nikki asked, her eyes wide.

"Well, has he made it into your phone book full of highly unsuitable and very inappropriate men yet?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Because he certainly flirts enough."

The reaction from Nikki was just what he was hoping for.

"What exactly are you insinuating Harry?" she scoffed. "Because the last thing I remember with Shaw was you arguing with him."

"It wasn't an argument, it was a disagreement," Harry clarified, but Nikki just shook her head.

"He's actually a good guy Harry," she said, leaning on the table now too. "And by the way, please don't play with my phone again. Do you realise how long it took me to get the settings back to normal?"

Harry laughed and leant back in his chair smiling. So far, he had successfully managed to distract Nikki from work, and annoyed her in doing so. He was quite impressed with himself really.

It was only a few minutes before Mrs Travis appeared again with their food and two mugs of steaming coffee.

"Why do I never choose the cheeseburger?" Nikki asked as Mrs Travis walked away again, yet Harry could see her glancing back at them once she had got to the other side of the room.

"Because you know that I'll always give you a bit, so you choose your smelly fish thing instead," Harry stated as he cut off a section of his burger to pass to Nikki.

"You're probably right you know," Nikki nodded.

"I'm always right," Harry grinned.

"Don't push it Harry," Nikki tried to say seriously, yet the smile slipped to her lips almost immediately.

Harry made a mental note to thank Leo when they got back to the office. They really had needed to get away from everything for an hour or so today. It had been a pretty intense morning for all of them, and Harry knew that this was just the start. This game that the murder was playing… he was far from finishing. They had to find a way to stop him before he found another victim.

"If I'm not allowed to talk about _that _case then, what about your one? The Yates' case. Have you found anything new?" Nikki asked him as she took one of his chips.

Harry shook his head.

"Not really. I think that there was someone else involved, and there were skin samples found under their finger nails, but there was no match found," Harry said, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "But Julia said that they were always fighting, and that she thought they had been fighting the night that they died. She thinks that Ray killed Jennifer."

"And you don't?" Nikki said, half way between a question and a statement.

"I don't know," Harry sighed. "She thinks that Jennifer stabbed Ray in self defence, and yet he managed to kill her by slitting her wrists. Nothing makes sense."

"Why do we do this job?" Nikki said with a weak smile. "Why didn't we just get a normal nine to five office job instead?"

"Because that would be boring," Harry said. "And you Nikki, would miss my company far too much."

"Hmmm, I suppose," Nikki mumbled before taking a sip of her drink. "This coffee is never strong enough," she stated.

Once again, Harry couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Leo watched from his office as his two younger colleagues walked back into work after nearly a two hour lunch break. Normally he would have made a half hearted comment about their time keeping, but today was different. They deserved a break from it all, and it seemed to have lifted their spirits slightly. Cleared their head ready to look at the evidence again through fresh eyes.

The rest of the day went rather quickly, despite the eventful afternoon. The lab results from the clothing had returned, giving Nikki something to focus on. The card and envelope results also came back, yet the only result was the fact that the blood was Ruby's, no other DNA sample on either to give them a lead. Just as they had expected.

It had just gone seven when Leo announced that it was time to pack up and go home for the night. The work would be there for them in the morning, and he didn't want them getting in the habit of spending all night working again when they had little information to go on.

"Well I need a strong drink," Harry announced as they were making their way through the Lyell Centre.

"I couldn't agree more," Leo responded. If he was quick, he would just have enough time to stop at the shop on the way home to buy the flowers and wine for Janet.

"Professor Dalton," the woman behind the reception desk in the foyer called over. The woman was standing with her coat tightly fastened and her scarf already around her neck. "Sorry Professor, you got some post about two hours ago, but I've been so busy all day what with Alice being off ill, and Kim on maternity leave that I didn't get a chance to send it through to you. You're lucky I caught you really, I was just about to leave, eventually."

Flicking thorough her in tray, the receptionist found what she was looking for and handed it over to Leo. The envelope was small, and slightly yellow, with no stamp and a printed out label identical to the last one.

"Nikki," Leo said slowly, aware that the other two were behind him again. "Phone Shaw again. Tell him to get here again. I'm going to phone Janet and ask her to come in too rather than waiting until tomorrow."

So much for a night with a bottle of wine and an old film with his girlfriend. This case was just getting worse and worse by the day, and Leo had a feeling that tonight was going to be one of those all-nighters after all.


	26. Chapter 26  Profiling

**Four exams down, one to go :D Good luck to everyone out there who's revising... it'll be worth it in the end! :) And thanks for the encouragement to keep revising, even though I'm ready to give up :P**

**This one is mainly just to give you an idea of who the killer is... let me know if it's terirble though, it's 2am again :P**

**Thank you to everyone still reading.**

**And a MASSIVE thank you to Thyqua, Lizziginne, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, freitazal, dinabar and Starr123 - you're making this happen :) both the story and my revision haha**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 26 - Profiling

Leo Dalton greeted his girlfriend with a tight hug as she entered the pathology unit, and could feel the tension that had been built up in his shoulders relax against her.

He had felt guilty ringing her so late, but there was something that told him she needed to be here. He didn't know if it was for her expertise on building a profile of the killer, or the emotional support she would be able to give him by just being there, but Leo knew that he needed Janet at the Lyell Centre.

Making their way to the conference room, Leo stopped momentarily at his office door, noticing a pair of high heeled boots that hadn't been there previously. Not that that was anything new to Leo. He had lost count how many times he had come into work to find Nikki asleep on the sofa in his office, or curled up on the chair after completing a facial reconstruction, or with her head on her desk, or Harry's. But this time he knew that Nikki would be very much awake for the majority of the night, just like the rest of them.

The conference room seemed to have grown in size as Leo made his way in. The envelope was sitting on the middle of the round table, yet Harry and Nikki were leaning against the wall on opposite sides of the room, as if the contents were some live, dangerous creature. Harry looked up and smiled weakly as Janet entered the room behind Leo before looking back at the envelope.

"Shaw can't make it," Nikki said slowly, her gaze also fixed to the same spot as Harry's. "He said he'll pick up the evidence tomorrow morning."

"Did you tell him what it was?" Leo asked, not hiding the shock that he felt at the lack of Shaw's appearance.

Nikki nodded slightly before looking at Leo.

"Yeah," she sighed. "He apologised. Said that something had come up that he really needed to sort out, and that could be important to the case. I think it was to do with the missing person's reports he had."

Leo could tell immediately that Harry was happy about this news. And to be fair, Leo was too. If they were going to be here all night, he didn't really want Shaw and Harry to be arguing for hours on end. It got tiring pretty quickly.

"Well I'm sure we can make notes for him can't we?" Harry smirked slightly before taking a step towards the table. "I'm guessing you've already filled Janet in on our first little gift?"

Leo could tell that Harry was trying to be light hearted about the situation, and he knew why. He could see him glance over at Nikki every few minutes, as if checking she was still there. But it didn't matter how hard he tried, Leo could hear the nervousness in Harry's voice, and could see the anguish in his eyes. This case was getting to him too, he just wouldn't show it in front of Nikki. He wouldn't admit that he felt lost at the lack of evidence they had.

"Well," Harry said, uncertainty lacing his voice as Janet nodded for him to continue. "We've just got another one. We haven't had it tested yet, mainly due to the fact that almost everyone has gone home already, but we have a fair idea on this one."

Pulling on a pair of white surgical gloves, Harry picked up a set of tweezers from the side of the table, and carefully handled the envelope, opening the flap and slowly extracting the small card from the inside to show Janet.

Leo had known immediately what would be in the envelope, and yet he had hoped that he had been wrong. The envelope was almost identical to the one they had received that morning, with the same contents. A small 'Happy Families' playing card, covered in blood.

A different card.

Different blood.

Same message.

"Someone's playing with us," Harry sighed heavily, stretching out his hand to Janet so she could see the card clearly. "Someone's playing a game with innocent people's lives, and they know we have no idea who's behind it."

"And that's where you come in," Leo smiled warmly at his girlfriend, who nodded in response and shrugged off her coat.

Peering at the card between the tweezers in Harry's outstretched hand, Leo could see Janet narrowing her eyes in concentration.

"Miss-" she said slowly as she tried to make out the words on the card.

"Miss Teeth. The dentist's daughter," Nikki said quietly, and Janet looked in her direction. "And before you ask, yes I've checked our records. Rebecca's father is a dentist."

Janet nodded, before looking up at the screen that now showed three different pictures, each one displaying the image of how the women were found.

"They're so similar," Leo heard Janet whisper to herself as she stepped closer, and he could tell by the way that she was standing that she was deep in thought.

Leo pulled out a chair and almost fell into it, feeling the exhaustion that had built up for the first time that day, as Harry replaced the card back in the envelope. It really was going to be a long night, but even if they could only get the smallest lead, it would be worth it.

* * *

Harry carefully replaced the card before pulling off his gloves and moving around the table to stand next to Nikki, who was biting on the edge of her sleeve that she had pulled over her hands. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he was surprised to find how small she was, until she realised she had kicked off her shoes.

"You've shrunk," Harry stated quietly, looking down at Nikki's feet. "Short arse."

Nikki elbowed Harry playfully in the ribs, and he let out a small noise as if she had actually hurt him. Harry was aware of the look that Leo was giving him, but he didn't care, because just for a split second, there had been a small smile on Nikki's lips. So small it was probably not visible to anyone else, and Harry doubted if Nikki even knew she had produced it, but it was there.

"The murderer was definitely a male," Nikki directed at Janet, who turned away from the screen. "I know they've all been sexually abused, but the strangulation was definitely by a man, due to the size of the hands. Although there was no evidence found on any of the bodies."

Janet nodded.

"This whole thing looks very thought out," Janet said, moving closer to the screen again. "The similarities are so precise, that it's as if the killer needs them to look the same. Each one has been strangled. Each one has been stabbed once, in the same place. Each one has been abandoned on their own… and there's something about their hair."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he stared at the screen. They were all blonde, that much was obvious, but Harry couldn't see anything else that was so out of the ordinary.

"Well, how long did you say that these women had been missing before they were found?" Janet asked, pointing to the images.

"It varies, but approximately one to two weeks," Leo stated.

"And yet their hair is brushed," Janet stated. "It's styled, although only slightly. But there is no physical evidence that the women had been kept against their will for that time. They're clean, their hair is brushed, and even their clothes don't look dirty."

"But when we studied the contents of their stomach, there was hardly anything there. Only bread and water…" Leo added, his confusion obvious.

"Oh I don't disagree that these women _were _kept against their will. Or that they were tortured before their death," Janet said seriously. "But they were made to look presentable before they were killed, as if they had died right after they had stepped foot out the front door."

"And what about the cards?" Nikki asked, her voice shaking slightly and Harry could feel her move closer to him.

"Have you got a picture of both of them?" Janet asked, and Leo nodded, pushing one of the tabs on the screen so that the images of both the cards were shown side by side.

"That's what I thought," Janet sighed, shaking her head slightly. When she realised that everyone was watching her she continued. "I think there's two people involved."

"Brilliant," Harry groaned as Janet continued.

"You see, the first person, the one that's organising everything I think, the one that's probably strangled the victims, he's meticulous. Everything has to be done in a certain way, and by what Leo's told me about the Ketamine that was found in their bloodstream, he knows how to sedate them so that he can make sure that everything is perfect," Janet pointed to the images on the screen.

"But I think this was unplanned," she continued. "Why wait over three weeks before sending you these cards? And Leo said that the blood still hadn't dried on the card, despite the fact that the victim had died weeks ago. This was an after thought. I think that the killer, the meticulous one, has kept blood samples from each of the victims, and this second person has decided what to do with it. Not that the killer is happy with the decision. Just look at how quick you got the second card. He's trying to make it look like part of the plan all along, and that's why he sent another one so quickly. He wants to stay in control."

"But the cards are from the same game, and have the same meaning, don't they?" Harry asked. "The baker's daughter. The dentist's daughter…"

"Yes, but the cards are from different packs, look," Janet said as she indicated to the writing that was just visible under the blood. "The style of text is different, as well as the colouring of the cards. If this was the actual killer then he would have ensured that the cards were from the same pack, to make each girl identical. To make sure that everything was done the same. But I don't think that this was his idea, and with different editions there's different families. So they've had to find the cards that match the girl's, rather than the other way, and these two cards happen to be from different packs."

Leo nodded at Janet, walking towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"So, do you think the second person, this accomplice, is male or female?" he asked, and Janet seemed to be thinking things over. "Well, looking at the cards, each of them is so-and-so's daughter. They don't focus on the victim's occupation, it's their father's. They are the girls that belong to their father… Or they are the girl's that make the father a father… I'm not completely sure. I suppose they could be either."

"Well whoever it was, they were just as capable at making sure there was no evidence to be found," Harry sighed, nodding towards the card on the table. "And I doubt that that will give us any new information."

"Yes, they definitely knew what they were doing," Janet agreed. "They knew how to cover their tracks and make sure there was no evidence."

They were all silent as they stared at the image of the grotesque characters on the cards as they peered out from the blood. They seemed to be such a contrast to the attractive women that they were there to represent, and who's blood was soaked across the very card that they were made from.

"Will he kill again?" Nikki asked suddenly, and yet Harry could see in her eyes that she knew what the answer would be.

"Most definitely," Janet sighed. "He's not finished his game just yet. And I think we're only just beginning to understand his rules."


	27. Chapter 27  Arguments

**I'm so so so sorry that this has taken so long to upload!**

**As many of you know, exams and revision took over! But my exams are all finished now :D (sorry, I know for many they're only just beginning) Good Luck to everyone!**

**And THANK YOU to anyone who is still reading this, despite revision, exams and the time it's taken me to upload this!**

**MASSIVE thank you to pinkswallowsun, Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, freitazal, Starr123 and gem.S for reviewing the last chapter :D**

**I'll try update the next chapter sooner :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 27 – Arguments

Harry breathed deeply at the touch of a hand on his bare back, a small smile playing on his lips. He could feel the goose bumps shoot up his spine as the fingers gently traced the contours of his vertebrae, and yet there was still that small part of him that longed for those fingers to stop, although he couldn't quite work out why.

Blinking open his eyes he was met by a mop of blonde hair, the soft strands falling over the face of the woman next to him, her blue eyes just visible through her hair.

"Morning," she smiled, and Harry grinned weakly in return.

The past few days at the Lyell Centre seemed to have passed in a blur for Harry, with each day merging into the next without him noticing. It had taken two days for the next card to show up, but it did, mirroring the previous two exactly apart from the occupation of the grotesque image.

Yet even since the dreaded delivery of the third envelope, the card soaked in Lisa Roberts' blood and the grotesque image of 'Mrs Hose. The Fireman's Wife' just visible beneath, they were no closer to finding the killer. They hadn't known the occupation of David Roberts at the time he had visited the centre to identify his wife, yet they knew immediately when the next card arrived and the blood was confirmed as Lisa's that David was a fireman. Not that it changed anything. He was still just another grieving relative whose world had been torn apart.

For three days Harry had spent the majority of his time at work, laboriously looking through websites and books that could help in any way, yet he knew deep down that it was a pointless task. How could you look for information on someone who could make themselves invisible? Who could kill without a trace, and weren't scared to carry on killing? And according to Janet, had an accomplice who was just as skilled at keeping themselves hidden.

But there was also that tiny part of his mind that kept telling him that he knew exactly why he had spent so long at work recently, when there really was little work to do. Because she was there, analysing samples in the microscope, flicking through old files, sitting at his desk…

"Do you have to go to work?" Julia giggled playfully, nudging herself closer to Harry and pulling him away from his day dream.

It had been the first night all week that he had managed to sleep in his own bed for more than a few hours, rather than getting home late from the Lyell, and he was only too happy when Julia turned up at his door. But now, he couldn't help but feel as if he should be back at work instead of snuggled under his bed sheets. It was supposed to be Nikki's day off, and yet he knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she would be in work.

"Afraid so," Harry sighed, sinking further back into the bed as Julia's fingers continued to explore his lower back. "We don't all get to have a day off."

"I've been working pretty hard actually," she laughed, pulling the sheets over their head and moving closer to his lips. "It's only fair that I get to play hard too."

Harry couldn't help but laugh in return, pulling Julia closer until their lips connected, closing his eyes and trying to keep the image of Julia in his mind rather than another blonde…

* * *

Harry was in a happy mood when he entered the Lyell centre an hour later, waving enthusiastically to Leo on the way in.

"You're late, yet again," Leo stated as Harry stopped at his office door.

"Only a few minutes, which means that by my standards, I'm technically early," Harry grinned, hoping that Leo was in a good mood too.

"Hmmm, if you say so," Leo smirked. "Just try not to annoy Nikki today please, I think she's stressed out."

"Just for a change," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes. "Maybe if she actually had a day off when she was supposed to she wouldn't feel the way she is."

"Well if you can persuade her to go home, then go for it. I've been trying for days," Leo said, leaning back in his chair. "Don't give me that look Harry, you can be just as stubborn."

Harry nodded and made his way to his desk, completely unsurprised when he found Nikki leaning across it, her head resting on her hand as she flicked through the notes in front of her.

"Good morning," Harry smiled, wrapping his arms around Nikki's shoulders from behind. "Isn't it such a lovely winter's day?"

"I know Leo has told you to persuade me to go home Harry, but it won't work," Nikki mumbled, yet Harry could feel her shoulders relax as he leant against them. "And I know for a fact that it is not a lovely day, I can hear the rain from here."

"True," Harry said, standing up again and moving towards Nikki's side of the desk. "But you really should have a day off. There's no new evidence, no new cases, and no more meetings scheduled with our friends from the station."

"Hmmm," Nikki mumbled again. "But there was the sample found on the clothing from the girls, and I still haven't worked out what it was. It's definitely pollen, but I can't work out what plant it's from."

"Even if you do find out, you don't know that it will make any difference. It would be from a common garden plant for all you know. From something that's found all over the country," Harry said gently, watching Nikki closely for any reaction.

"I know," Nikki sighed. "But it's the only bit of evidence I have to work with isn't it? Their clothing was perfect, even though they had been missing for weeks. There's so much we just don't understand about this case Harry."

Harry nodded slightly before turning on the computer on Nikki's desk. There was the problem right there… Nikki had next to no information to work on. And he knew that this would be infuriating for her. Nikki was one of the best pathologists he had ever met, and there was no way she would give up until the case was completely closed. But with no information to give her a lead, she was lost for something to do.

"Why are you in such a good mood anyway?" Nikki asked, closing her notes and taking the next file from a box next to the desk.

"No reason," Harry shrugged, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to appear on his lips.

"None at all?" Nikki smirked and Harry's smile widened.

"Nope," he laughed, shaking his head.

"So the tall, slim blonde that's asleep in your bed has nothing to do with your good mood?"

"How did you-?" Harry stuttered, but Nikki giggled.

"I know just what you're like Harry," she smiled. "Someone, not something has put you in a good mood. And I'm glad that she has. I was getting fed up of looking at your long face all week."

"Speak for yourself," Harry said. "You've been even more miserable than I have. And there's another reason you should go home for a day. I _am _in a good mood, and I'd like it to stay that way."

"Well just keep Julia around and I'm sure you'll be fine," Nikki smiled, and yet Harry could see a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place.

"I think she'll be around for a while," Harry said casually, looking away but trying to gauge Nikki's reaction as he did so.

"Good," Nikki smiled. "You deserve to be happy. And this one sounds serious. Well, by your standards anyway."

"By my standards," Harry scoffed. "What are you applying Doctor Alexander?"

"Nothing," Nikki giggled. "I just mean, you seem to be getting close."

"You mean it's lasted longer than a week?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Hey, you said it, not me," Nikki smiled, as she flicked through the notes on her desk.

Harry knew that it had been obvious to all of them how many different girls he had been with after a night out, post-Hungary. Julia had been the first one to last any length of time, and certainly the first one he had mentioned in front of Nikki, which didn't go un-noticed by his colleague.

"You're just jealous," Harry yawned, stretching animatedly in his chair. "That I had a hot date waiting for me when I got home last night and you didn't."

"If you say so," Nikki mumbled, ignoring Harry's playful smile.

"Oh Nikki, please don't tell me you spent _another _night here," he sighed, leaning across his desk again. Harry could tell that Nikki had had a shower this morning, he could smell the strawberry shampoo from across the desk. And she had definitely changed her shirt from the day before, but he could tell that she certainly hadn't slept in her own bed last night. The shadows under her eyes were that little bit darker, the spark in her pupils just slightly dimmer.

"Ok, I won't," Nikki said quietly as she continued to look through her notes.

"I know that you could quite easily walk out of this building and pick up some guy before you even got to the pub," Harry laughed, but Nikki's smile seemed to have vanished.

"Maybe I'm fed up of a casual fling with _some _guy Harry," she snapped, and Harry noted the change of tone in her voice. "Maybe I don't want to wake up with a different guy every week and a hangover from hell. Maybe I prefer to be on my own."

Nikki sighed, keeping herself turned away from Harry. Harry knew that this was not the time to annoy Nikki, however much he wanted to. He could see the frustration in her eyes at the lack of evidence that they had managed to find in the last few days, despite spending every moment awake analysing the evidence that they did have. And all that they could find was that the blood _had _been extracted many days before it was spilled on the cards and posted to them.

But he was getting fed up of tip toeing round the office to make sure that he didn't upset Nikki. He was in a good mood today, and he didn't want anything to ruin it. It wasn't just Nikki that had been affected by the recent case, and he knew that by spending night after night at the Lyell was not doing anyone any favours.

"What about Shaw?" Harry asked quietly, not sure why he felt the need to ask the question. "You seem to get on well with him."

"Your point being?" Nikki shot back. "So I can talk to him. That doesn't mean I want to jump into bed with him."

"That's not what I meant," Harry stated quickly, seeing the annoyance in her posture. "I just thought that – you know – he likes you, you seem to like him…"

"Like I said Harry," Nikki cut in, turning to look at him. "Maybe I prefer to be on my own. I don't need someone to share my bed with to be happy."

"And you think I do?" Harry answered, hearing his voice rise. "Do you think that's why I'm with Julia?"

"No, actually," Nikki frowned. "Wasn't I the one that just said I thought you two were getting serious? I was actually happy for you!"

"Oh, thanks Nikki," Harry glared. "I'm so happy I have your seal of approval. That really does make all the difference."

"Where has all this come from?" Nikki asked, her voice suddenly quieter. "I didn't mean anything-"

"Forget it Nikki," Harry threw his arms in the air as he stood up from his desk. "You might not approve of who I choose to see, but I hardly think you're in any position to be judgemental, do you?"

"When did I say that I didn't approve? And what was that supposed to mean? I know you were hurt after Hungary Harry, but so was I! At least I didn't take it out on everyone else. At least I didn't run from one one-night-stand to the next!" Nikki stammered, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Don't," Harry growled. "Don't bring up Hungary. Don't hide behind my problems, when we all know that the problem here is not me. You just can't bare to see me happy when you're not. That's why you spend so much time here. You know that you can't find any more information yet, and yet you still keep looking. Because the dead can't hurt you, can they Nikki? Spending all day with the dead means that you don't need to think about your problems, you can focus on theirs instead!"

"Stop it!" Nikki shouted suddenly, standing up from behind his desk. "Just stop it Harry! You know, I really was happy for you. Truly I was. But now – now I'm not so sure. Because if being with Julia changes who you are…"

"I haven't changed Nikki," Harry interrupted, his voice still low. "I'm just happy for a change. I'm happy, and yes it's mainly due to Julia. Not you. Not Leo. Not some one night stand. But because of Julia, my girlfriend. And I'm sorry if you can't be as happy as I am, but when you spend all day in here I'm really not surprised."

Harry noticed his hands shaking as they both fell silent, their eyes locked together. He could see Nikki's lip quivering and the determination in her eyes as she tried not to cry. And he could feel his heart aching knowing that it was due to him that the tears were there, yet he knew that he couldn't take back what he had just said.

"Nikki-," Harry started, feeling his shoulders slump as Leo appeared through the door of his office with a hand scribbled note in his hand.

"We've just got a call," Leo stated. "Body found by a fairground about two miles away. I don't know much about the case, or if it's connected with-"

"I'll take it," Nikki said quickly, wiping away her tears with her sleeve before taking the paper from Leo, grabbing her coat and making her way towards the door.

Harry watched her go and could feel Leo's eyes on the back of his head.

"Is she alright?" Leo asked and Harry nodded slowly.

"She will be," he answered quietly. "I'll make sure she is."

Because Harry knew that he was the only person that could make it up to Nikki. He was the only one that she would ever open up to. He just hoped that it wasn't too late. That he hadn't destroyed the best relationship in his life with one stupid argument.


	28. Chapter 28  Death of the Laughter

**Hmm... I have so many chapters written and yet I still can't get the ones in between right... hope it's not too terrible :P**

**THANK YOU to everyone reading, and a massive hug for Lizziginne, freitazal, gem.S, dinabar, EmmaJ1996, Starr123, Ann1119, pinkswallowsun, Thyqua and name-me! You are all amazing! :D**

**Hope everyone who had an exam thought it went ok :) My sister had an English GCSE and said it wasn't too bad :D and good luck with revision :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 28 – Death of the Laughter

It's strange how your perception of things can alter dramatically as you go through life. How some thing that were once insignificant now fill your thoughts. How trivial matters are now seen as important. And how some things that used to bring you so much happiness, now seem to have lost their magic, their meaning having dissolved into nothingness.

Standing in front of the rusted iron gates to the fairground, her hands shaking due to the cold, build up of anger and something else she couldn't quite work out, Nikki Alexander knew that this was one of those sickening, juxtaposition crime scenes. Where the laughter and joy brought by the entertainment inside the gates would be forever intertwined with the blood that splattered the path that would need to be trod upon to enter the fairground itself.

The thought of the flashing lights and sickly sweet candyfloss that would appear again when the skies darkened made Nikki's stomach turn as her eyes fell on the glassy stare of the young woman who was slumped against the gates, her blonde hair falling lifelessly across her cheeks, and her blood soaking her thin, pale blue shirt. From a distance, she looked just like the others, so many details mirroring the crime scenes photos that covered the wall in the office.

"Another young life," Nikki whispered to herself. "Gone. Taken. And for what?"

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness you know?" came a voice from behind her, and turning around Nikki came face to face with a grinning Shaw.

"Yeah, well answering yourself is the second sign, and I'm not quite there yet," Nikki smiled, and Shaw chuckled.

"No doubt that it's another one I'm afraid," Shaw sighed as the smile quickly slid off his face. "And no doubt she'll be on the missing person's records either."

"But why here?" Nikki asked shakily. "The other girls were found in a deserted side street somewhere, but this is completely different. It's deserted now, but soon there'll be people arriving for the opening of the fairground."

"It certainly won't be opening tonight," Shaw sighed. "SOCOs will be here for a while yet. Like you said, why here? Why leave her where someone will find her so soon?"

"Because they know that we still have no idea who they are," Nikki mused, noticing Shaw nod slightly at her words. "They're still playing a sick game."

"I think you may be right," he said, his eyebrows furrowed, holding a look that Nikki couldn't quite place. "Let's have a look then, shall we?"

Nikki accepted the overalls from a SOCO with a nod and stepped into them, before tentatively making her way to the young blonde. Kneeling down next to the body, Nikki gently lifted one of the victim's hands, turning it over. As with the other girls, her hands were void of any blood, despite the amount that soaked her chest and the ground around her. But there was something different… something that she couldn't quite work out.

Moving around the body, Nikki quickly examined each injury that she knew would be present, taking a mental note of the similarities, and checking for anything that may be different. However, from a brief examination, there didn't seem to be anything that she wasn't expecting to find, and no dramatic difference between this victim and the other blondes.

Shaw remained relatively quiet throughout the examination, his attention fixed mainly on his mobile, concern etched across his face.

"Time of death?" he asked eventually as Nikki leant back slightly.

"Two, maybe three hours ago," Nikki stated. "It's a cold morning, but she's definitely not been dead long."

Shaw nodded, turning his attention back to his phone.

"Has the entire proximity been searched?" Nikki asked as she stepped carefully around the body having collected all the essential samples.

"The near by area has been searched and I have a team set up at the end of the road to re-direct any traffic that may be travelling to the fairground," Shaw stated as he pointed down the road leading up to where they were all positioned. "We haven't been able to get in touch with the owner of this place though. I've had officers trying to find a way in, as well as searching for a personal contact number for the owner, a Mr Brian Finnick, but no luck yet."

"I'm sure he'll turn up when there's no visitors," Nikki mumbled. "What time is the place supposed to open?"

"Eleven," Shaw answered as he glanced at his watch. "So in about, twenty minutes."

"Well I think we can move the body now," Nikki stated as she pulled off her surgical gloves. "We can take a closer look back at the lab, and if you can get the missing persons reports we can try and identify her this afternoon."

"Ok, I want everybody to stop what they're doing," Shaw announced, holding up his hands. "I need two of you to prepare the body to be transported, and the rest of you to split up and search further than we have been doing. Check for anything and everything, the killer has to slip up sooner or later."

Nikki was surprised at how quickly everyone moved at Shaw's words, each scattering in a different direction as the body was carefully moved onto her back, lifting her slightly to place her in the body bag.

"Stop," Nikki said suddenly, moving around the body quickly and pulling a pair of tweezers from her pocket. Bending down again she carefully reached out and picked up the object that had caught her attention.

"Shit," Shaw sighed as he realised what the object between the tweezers was. "Who is it this time?"

"Mrs Pots. The Painter's Wife," Nikki said slowly as she struggled to read the words through the blood and mud that smeared the card.

"What? Did they run out of stamps or something?" Shaw's voice held so much anger, and yet he calmly held open an evidence bag ready for Nikki to drop the card into. "Oh no, there were no stamps, were there? There was nothing, nothing to give us any clue as to who it was."

"Like you said, they'll make a mistake sooner or later," Nikki said reassuringly, not quite sure where the words had come from. She had been furious at the lack of evidence they had, and she knew that she had taken out her anger at Harry on more than one occasion over the past week. And yet here she was, reassuring Shaw, when she hadn't been able to do that very thing for herself all week.

Shaw nodded as his phone rang from his pocket. Reading the name of the caller he turned to Nikki.

"I need to take this. Will you be ok to finish up here?"

"Sure," Nikki smiled as Shaw turned and walked away.

Nikki stared at the iron gates in front of her and watched the two SOCO's carefully lift the body of the young woman and place her in the back of the waiting van, ready to transport her to the Lyell, before driving away from the scene and leaving Nikki alone. She could hear the others in the distance as the searched desperately for anything that they had previously missed, and yet an eerie silence still seemed to hang over the fairground, a startling contrast to the music and lights that usually filled the vicinity.

"Who's there?" the voice was loud and stern, and Nikki found herself spinning around in search of the source.

It wasn't until the gates creaked open slightly that Nikki snapped round again, her eyes falling on a middle aged, wild haired man who peered through the spindles in her direction.

"Mr Finnick?" Nikki asked quietly, stepping forward as she did so.

"It depends who's asking," the gentleman snapped back, closing the gate again slightly.

"I'm Dr Alexander," Nikki stated. "I'm a pathologist. I'm afraid there's been an incident. The police will want to speak to you-"

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Mr Finnick shouted, and Nikki jumped slightly.

"No, it's ok. No one thinks that you have. They just need to go through some things with you," Nikki stuttered, holding her hands up slightly.

"Get away from my property, all of you!" Finnick shouted again and Nikki stepped back.

"I'm afraid we can't yet. This is still a crime scene," Nikki lowered her eyes and noticed that Mr Finnick followed, his expression changing as he noticed the blood that soaked the ground in front of the entrance.

"You need to clean that up before I open," he muttered, as if not quite understanding the seriousness of the situation. "I can't have it scaring away the visitors."

"You won't be able to open today. I'm sorry. We need to keep the area clear for some time yet," Nikki tried to explain as Mr Finnick slowly walked through the gates so that he was only inches from the blood at his feet.

Nikki glanced around quickly in search of Shaw, yet he seemed to have disappeared completely. By the time she had turned around again, Mr Finnick had stepped over the blood and was now standing even closer to Nikki, facing the entrance yet still staring at the blood. Nikki could smell the stale alcohol as Mr Finnick seemed to sway slightly on the spot, yet she was unsure if the unsteadiness was due to the alcohol or the shock of the crime scene.

"The police won't need to talk to you for long," Nikki spoke gently, hoping to keep Finnick where he was until Shaw was back.

"I'm not speaking to them," Mr Finnick muttered angrily. "I have ten minutes until I turn on the lights and open these gates. My staff are already inside waiting to open."

"Your staff?" Nikki asked. "How long have you all been here?"

"Most of the staff arrive at seven. There's a lot of work need doing before we can open," he explained, his attention never leaving the blood.

"The police will need to talk to them too," Nikki said. "Just to confirm the time of death of the victim, and to ask whether anyone heard anything."

"No!" Finnick snapped, spinning around to face Nikki. "I've told you, we _will _be opening at our normal time, and my staff will not be harassed by you lot. You just want an excuse to shut this place down. You've been trying for years."

"No, that's not it," Nikki stuttered again as Finnick moved closer, his foul breath swimming nauseatingly around her. He was only slightly taller than Nikki with her heels on, and yet she instantly felt unnerved by his closeness.

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid!" he growled, his feet crunching against the hard ground under his feet as he moved even closer. "Just take your things, and tell your police friends to leave."

"I- I can't-" Nikki tried to speak, her breath catching as she felt a pair of large hands grab hold of her upper arms and push her backwards.

Startled, Nikki stumbled back, feeling the full weight of Finnick against her as she fell backwards, her head hitting the hard ground below and feeling his knee land against her ribs. Her head spun as she tried to take a breath, only just aware of Finnick shouting at her as his hands remained clasped around her arms.

Just as her head felt as if it was about to explode, the weight on her disappeared, the sounds of shouting mixed together with another voice much more recognisable.

"Stick him in the car," Shaw shouted, and Nikki could just make out the uniformed police officer guide Finnick away.

Gasping, Nikki slowly pushed herself to a sitting position, felling the burn in her ribs and the pounding in her head increase.

"Are you alright," Shaw asked gently, leaning down to meet her eyes.

"Yeah," Nikki chocked. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"No problem. Sorry I wasn't there earlier," he smiled before adding "Do you go _looking _for trouble?"

"Oh yeah, of course I do," Nikki tried to grin back, which only caused her head to throb more.

"Come on," Shaw said, holding out a hand to pull Nikki to her feet. "I'm taking you to the station to be looked over by the medic."

"No, I'm fine, really," Nikki said slowly, trying to remain steady on her feet.

"So you won't be long at the station then, will you?" he smiled. "I'll drive, and one of my officers can bring your car. Then, when the medic has said your ok, you can drive back and we can take a closer look at the body. I'll pick up the missing persons images while we're there."

Nikki could tell that there was no room for discussion in Shaw's words, and so nodded slowly, accepting his arm to steady herself as they made their way to his car.

"Besides," Shaw added. "I think your colleague would like me even less if I didn't make sure you were ok."


	29. Chapter 29  Sorry

**When I started this, I didn't think it would be quite so long... I hope it's not getting boring. I feel like the yellow brick road just keeps getting longer :P I know I keep saying it, but it should start to move much quicker in the next few chapters, fingers crossed :)**

**THANK YOU once again to everyone reading, and to the amazing people who reviewed the last chapter - Starr123, Ann1119, Lizziginne, pinkswallowsun, dinabar and EmmaJ1996 :D**

**It's another long one, sorry. Couldn't leave them annoyed with each other too long. Not yet anyway... :P**

**Good luck to everyone that has exams and lots of revision to do :) I'm sure you're all doing great :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 29 - Sorry

"Will you be doing _any _work today?" Leo asked as he passed Harry, who was staring aimlessly at his computer screen.

"Doubt it," Harry muttered back without looking up.

"Do I pay you to watch a screensaver all day?" Leo sighed.

"Technically, you don't pay me at all," Harry smirked, and Leo hit him across the back of the head with the case file he was carrying.

"Work," he laughed. "She'll be back soon and you can apologise then."

"No I won't," Harry muttered again, moving the mouse so the screensaver disappeared and the card game that he had been playing appeared on the screen again, which he hastily closed.

"I do _not _want to be in the middle of you two arguing again Harry. Stop acting childish and apologise for whatever you have done this time," Leo said as he walked towards his office.

"Why do you think that I'm the one who has to do the apologising," Harry startled, sitting up straighter.

"Because you are the one that always takes it too far and doesn't know when to shut up," Leo laughed, watching as Harry's expression changed repeatedly before stopping at annoyance.

"Yes, well… Nikki's not as innocent as you may think," Harry muttered and Leo laughed again.

"I _know _that Nikki is anything but innocent," Leo pointed out. "But I also know that she is far too stubborn to apologise first. Take it from me Harry, women can hold a grudge for a very long time. Just say you're sorry and clear the air please. It would make it so much easier for all of us."

Leo then walked into his office and closed the door behind him, leaving Harry alone staring at his computer screen again. He knew, without a doubt, that Harry wouldn't apologise to Nikki. They were both so stubborn that their arguments could last for days, weeks even, before they seemed to forget what they were arguing about and everything was suddenly back to normal.

Leo just hoped that they would forget about this one quickly. They had a lot of work to do, and if they were ignoring each other again, then this was going to be a very long case.

* * *

"It. Is. Not. My. Fault," Harry muttered, hitting the button on his mouse with every word before pushing it away completely and resting his head in his hands. He had been happy this morning. He had woken up with a beautiful woman in his bed, the same woman that he had woken up with the week previously which was an achievement in itself, and had been prepared to remain happy for the rest of the day. But now, now he felt anything but happy and it hadn't even reached midday.

And it was because of her. Because of the one person who could usually bring a smile to his face just by thinking about her.

"You still haven't done any work," Leo announced as he passed his desk some time later on his way to the kitchen.

Harry glared after him before clicking into his emails. At least then when Leo passed it would _look_ as if he was doing some work, even if he wasn't. As usual, his new emails consisted mainly of junk mail trying to persuade him to buy some pointless product, or an annoying chain mail with a stupid, sickly sweet message that made no sense, instructing you to send to everyone you knew to annoy them too.

But there was one message that caught his attention as he was about to delete it, that contained nothing more than a two lines of writing. It had been sent by his mother, which was a surprise for starters as he didn't realise that she could even use a computer, but Harry found himself reading and re-reading the words in his head.

'Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest. It's about those who came into your life and never left your side.'

"Or who walked into your life, dumped a load of old bones on your desk, and refused to ever let you forget her," Harry whispered, his mind completely focused on one of the only people in his life that he would truly count as a friend. A best friend. Someone who understood him, and argued with him, and drove him crazy…

But it _was _always Harry that had to apologise first, and to be honest he was fed up of it. He didn't want to be the one that always gave in. But he wanted to be happy, and he knew that even with Julia, he couldn't be happy without Nikki in his life. He didn't want Nikki to ever leave his side, even if that meant that she had to forever remain his best friend, and nothing more.

As Harry read the email yet again, his mobile buzzed across the desk and he grabbed it immediately, opening the message before he'd even read who it was from. Yet he couldn't help but feel disappointed as he read the text.

'How about I cook us dinner tonight? I have the whole day off after all. And I have a lot planned for desert ;) x'

Harry hesitated, his thumb hovering over the keypad as he tried to think of a reply. Any other day he would have jumped at the chance, glad for the distraction from work and eager to share his bed with a beautiful woman for the second night in the row. But it was Friday… it was film night. He had been planning on asking Nikki round to his this week, but that was before the argument this morning. He doubted that she would agree now. Nonetheless, he found himself sending the text back before he realised.

'Sorry, got to work late. Another case just came in, going to be here all night. I'll make it up to you tomorrow. Promise x'

Throwing his phone back onto the table, Harry noticed Leo watching from the window in his office, before pointing to Harry's desk and pretending to write across the air with an invisible pen. Sighing loudly, Harry hastily pulled out a pen from the pot on his desk, scattering many in the process as he held it up to Leo and giving him a false grin as he turned to a report at the side of his desk. Leo rolled his eyes as Harry chuckled, scooping up the pens that lined his desk, soon finding himself grasping a 'very cherry' lip gloss between his fingers.

"Damn," Harry muttered to himself as he slowly placed the lip gloss back in his pen pot. "Damn."

And without thinking, Harry had speed dialled Nikki's number, and was listening to the dial tone as it connected. He didn't care that they weren't talking. He was only phoning to make sure she didn't need help at the crime scene. That's all. He wasn't going to apologise though, she had to be the first to do it this time. It wasn't his fault that she had taken everything he had said the wrong way. It wasn't his fault that she had been distracting him all morning, without even being in the office. And it wasn't his fault that he couldn't even take out a bloody pen without being reminded of her, when he was supposed to be ignoring her.

"Nikki Alexander's phone," Harry startled at the reply from the other end of the line. The voice was low and steady, and Harry instantly knew who it was. Had Nikki listened to him when he had mentioned his name earlier during their argument?

"Shaw?" Harry asked, trying to sound perplexed but knowing that his voice still held a certain level of resentment that he would never be able to get rid of when addressing the Detective, although he didn't know the reason it was always present."Is Nikki around?"

"Hmm… not at the moment, sorry. She's still getting looked over by the medic I think," Shaw's voice was casual, and yet Harry's heart immediately quickened at his words.

"Medic," he spluttered. "How- why-"

"There was a crazy guy at the crime scene who got a little too involved in our investigation. He seemed to think that we was there to cause some sort of bad publicity for his fairground or something," Shaw continued. "Nikki was just there for him to take his frustration out on. I think she hit her head when he knocked her over, so the medic's checking on her at the station."

"I'm coming down there," Harry stated immediately, his hands shaking as he held the phone tightly in his hand.

"There's no need," Shaw said calmly. "I'll drop her off as soon as the medic has finished. I won't let her drive, I promise. Even though she thinks that I've brought her car here. It should be in the car park at the Lyell by now actually. One of the officers will have dropped her keys off at reception. Is she always so stubborn?"

"Hmmm," Harry mumbled, not over enthusiastic about the idea, but knowing that it made sense. "Yes, she is. Stubborn I mean. Well, as long as she's ok. I'll pick up her keys for her later."

"Great, see you soon," Shaw said brightly before hanging up, leaving Harry to stare at the desk in front of him, his phone still clasped to his ear.

How? How could she always, _always _manage to make sure that she was the only one that filled his thoughts? She _was_ so stubborn, and so bloody accident prone. Who managed to injure themselves at a simple crime scene? Not for the first time either… and no doubt not the last.

Harry shoved the papers off his desk and leant back in his chair, exhaling slowly and closing his eyes.

"Ha-rry," Leo grumbled some time later, just as Harry began to feel the blood rushing to his head after leaning it back on his chair for too long.

"Not to be rude Leo, but please piss off," Harry answered before realising what he had said and opening his eyes to stare at his boss who was standing behind him.

"If you talk to Nikki like that then I'm not surprised she's ignoring you," he smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry," Harry muttered under his breath, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"It's not me you should be apologising to-,"

"I know, I know ok," Harry moaned. "And I will as soon as she gets back from the medic."

"The medic," Leo asked, startled.

"Yup, you know Nikki. No crime scene without drama, is there," Harry smiled weakly before noticing the concerned look on Leo's face. "According to Shaw she's fine. Just being checked over. Again. I think she needs to learn how to defend herself a little better…"

Leo laughed as Harry trailed off, completely lost in his own thoughts again.

"You know what Harry," Leo announced. "I give up. I've come to the conclusion that you are going to do absolutely no work until Nikki is back, so you may as well just play your card games instead. Not that you ever win any."

Harry stared after him as he walked past again.

"I don't need her here you know," Harry muttered stubbornly. "I am capable of working without her."

"Sure," Leo shouted without turning, just as the door buzzer sounded and Harry heard the unmistakable noise of Nikki's boots against the office floor.

Jumping up from his desk, he leant against Nikki's side which was nearest the door, trying to look casual before she walked around the corner, Shaw following.

"Nikki," Leo smiled. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled. "Shaw was there to make sure of it."

Harry tried to smile in return, but knew that it didn't quite reach his eyes. Just seeing Nikki standing in front of him seemed to calm him down, and he suddenly felt more relaxed than he had been all day. And yet the thought of Shaw being there looking after her… he couldn't quite shake the thought that it should have been him. Even thought there was no reason that it should be… they weren't even talking after all.

"Shaw, can I talk to you in my office for a few minutes. About the case," Leo asked and Shaw nodded, both disappearing through the doorway, Harry noticing the smirk on Leo's face as he closed the door behind him.

And then they were alone, staring at each other across the office in complete silence.

"Harry-" Nikki started, dropping her bag at her feet, the tears in her eyes just visible.

"Shut up," Harry sighed, stepping up from the edge of the desk and quickly closing the distance between them, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, his thumbs resting on her collar bone. He smiled as he leant his head over, touching his nose gently against her forehead and sighing softly. Nikki almost melted at the smell of his aftershave. The heat of his breath on her skin. And the gentle contact of his body against hers.

"You're ok?" he whispered, his words not quite a question, more a statement to comfort himself, and Harry pulled her in closer to his chest so he could wrap his arms around her.

"Hey," Nikki muffled. "I'm fine. Just a little bruised, that's all. Nothing a Harry hug can't cure. Just don't squeeze too hard."

Harry laughed softly, the smell of her shampoo swirling around his nostrils, bringing a certain comfort that he hadn't realised he'd needed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "About what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it. I really am happy for you, I promise."

"You have nothing to apologise for," Harry answered, leaning back slightly so that their eyes met. "It's me that should be sorry. Let's just forget about it, yeah?"

"Yeah," Nikki smiled, leaning her head back against his chest. "Yeah, it was stupid. And childish, and-"

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up," Harry muttered again, receiving a playful punch on his arm.

Harry laughed again before loosening his hug and stepping back, placing his hands back on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, all humour gone, saying everything he needed to in those two words.

"Me too," Nikki whispered. And just like that, everything was back to normal again. They had both managed to put their stubbornness to one side. Because that's what best friends did. They were there for each other, through the good and bad…

"So, this eventful crime scene of yours," Harry asked, noticing the mud that smeared her jeans. "Another squeaky clean one then?"

Nikki froze, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration.

"That's it," she smiled. "That's it Harry. That's what was so different. Her fingernails had mud on them. They weren't cleaned."

"So there's a chance that there's a DNA sample left?" Harry added, guessing that the case had been another one linked to their current investigation.

Nikki nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Harry by the hand and pulling him towards the direction of Leo's office.

"Come on," she said quickly. "We need to tell Leo that we're going to scrub up."

"We?" Harry grinned, and Nikki stopped right outside Leo's door, turning to face him so they were only inches apart.

"Yeah, you know I can't do this without you," she smiled, their eyes lingering on each others for a split second longer than necessary, before she turned and knocked on Leo's door.


	30. Chapter 30  Slip Up

**Sorry for the delay! Had kind of a mental block with this chapter, as you can probably tell, and been so busy that I couldn't work it out until recently.**

**I promise, I do have something big planned for later on, and**** most of that bit is written already, so when it gets to there the updates will hopefully be quicker.**

**As always, THANK YOU to anyone who is still reading. It will get more exciting :) promise.**

**And a MASSIVE thank you to Thyqua (for both your reviews), MissDrake123, Starr123, Ann1119, Lizziginne, gem.S, EmmaJ1996, dinabar, pinkswallowsun and freitazal for reviewing the last chapter. You are all beyond amazing! :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 30 – Slip Up

"Why?" she exclaimed, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "Why now? It was far too soon. They're going to find out it was us!"

"Shut up," he growled back. "It had to be done. The stupid bitch tried to run. It wasn't planned, but there was no way we could keep her."

"You did it all on your own?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I did, who else do you think I would involve? This is already messed up as it is," he sighed, the anger dripping from his voice like venom.

"What about the card. We need to sort it out soon. Make sure it looks like it was intentional so they don't pry too much."

"That's already sorted."

"You didn't leave one there did you?" she asked, her voice rising in panic.

"You were never supposed to be this involved! Don't you dare start telling me how to do this. Remember, one little slip up and you can become the next."

"I know, I know," she replied hastily. "I'm just, well, worried. That this is getting out of hand."

"Everything is under control. The supplies are getting low though. I need you to pick up another one soon. The usual criteria. Wait for her to be reported missing and then we can find out her background," he trailed off.

"And everything is definitely ok?" she asked shakily. "Everything was done the same as with the other ones?"

"Yes," he sneered. "Call me when you have another one. Not on my other number though. I need that one free."

"Fine," she replied shortly as the line went dead.

* * *

"We're going to scrub up," Harry announced loudly, turning to Shaw with a smug smile on his lips. "You're more than welcome to observe of course."

"I will, yes," Shaw nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll bring the missing persons reports down with me. Work out who she is."

"Great, let's get started then," Harry turned to leave the office, and it was only then that he noticed Nikki's hand was still enclosed in his.

"Nikki, can I have a word before you go?" Leo asked, and glancing back Harry could see a look in Leo's eyes, and a smile on his lips, as if he knew something that no one else did.

"Sure," Nikki nodded, and Harry reluctantly loosened his grip on her hand as he left the office, Shaw following behind him.

It wasn't that he didn't like Shaw. He had nothing against the detective. It was just that he didn't particularly like the guy either. To be fair, he was much more approachable than most of the detectives that they had had to work with over the years, Maddox being a prime example, and yet there was something about him that Harry didn't trust.

"Stop me if I'm being inappropriate," Shaw said as they reached the door to the observatory balcony. "But do you know if Nikki would be interested in going out for a drink tonight?"

"You'll need to ask Nikki I'm afraid," Harry answered without looking at him. "She's been busy lately."

"Oh, right. Yeah," sighed Shaw. "But there's no big, rugby player boyfriend that I need to look out for if I do ask her?"

"No," Harry said shortly. "But again, you need to ask Nikki. We don't live in each others pockets you know."

"Of course," Shaw tilted his head, opening the door to the balcony as Harry turned his back on the detective and made his way to the locker room.

Harry sighed heavily, leaning his head against his locker, the cold metal seeming to numb his skin. He should have nothing against Shaw, he knew that. God, if it wasn't for Shaw earlier Nikki could have been in much more danger than she had been. If he hadn't been there to grab the psycho that had attacked her, then who knows what would have happened. Surely that made him an alright person, didn't it? And anyway, Nikki was smart enough to know the difference between a detective wanting to have a casual drink, and one that was hoping for something more.

And he had Julia. So why shouldn't Nikki be happy too? After all, Shaw was a good guy, even if Harry didn't like him. Then again, Harry automatically didn't like anyone who seemed to be interested in Nikki. But that was just part of his best friend role… he had to stay level headed so he could be there if anything went wrong. So he could be there to comfort her when she cried and let her know that she could do so much better.

"I thought it was me that was having the hard day," Nikki giggled from behind Harry, making him jump slightly, knocking his head off the locker.

"Ouch," he mumbled, turning to find Nikki leaning against the doorframe, a small smile on her face.

"Now that wasn't clever," she said, walking over to where he was standing and placing her hand on his forehead. "You ok?"

Harry couldn't help the laugh that escaped at her words, taking hold of Nikki's hand and holding it between his in front of them.

"I think that's my line," he said as she rolled her eyes.

"I've told you, I'm fine," Nikki said seriously, before suddenly pulling her hand away and walking to her own locker.

Harry watched her as she searched through the contents, obviously trying to distract herself from something.

"What did Leo want?" he asked casually, knowing that very few things were kept confidential between the two of them.

"Just asking if I wanted to go home," Nikki answered, pulling out her white overalls.

"Well, it is your day off," Harry smirked as Nikki turned to face him and she rolled her eyes again before sitting on the bench and taking her boots off. "Did Leo get to have a nice cosy chat with Shaw then?"

"Hmm," Nikki mumbled. "Harry he's not that bad, really. I think he got a call from the station actually, so he had to leave the office. Leo said that he thought it was Maddox asking about the missing persons files, but I don't know. He went back in just before we did. I wish you would talk to him properly though."

"Maybe," Harry mumbled, knowing that it would be a very, very long time before he ever started a conversation with the detective voluntarily. "So, you think we're going to find something?" he asked, trying to change the subject so she wouldn't notice how closely he was watching her, looking out for any signs that she may be suffering from earlier.

"I hope so," she sighed, pulling off her jumper and dropping it on the bench. "Something seems different about this one. They have to slip up soon, don't they?"

Harry froze at the sight of the bruises that painted the top of her arms, unmistakably left by the grasp of a large hand. He could feel his own hands shaking slightly as he held them behind his back, and knew that he was useless at hiding his anger, no matter how hard he tried. Why had he let her get hurt again, after promising himself that he would keep her safe?

Nikki looked up when there was no answer, noticing immediately why Harry had fallen silent. Pulling on her white top over the pale pink vest top she was wearing, the sleeves reaching just above her elbows, she stood up and walked back to Harry.

"Stop it, ok?" she said quietly. "I know the kind of things that you'll be thinking, and please stop. Nothing happened, nothing serious. It's just a couple of bruises."

Nikki wrapped her arms around Harry, resting her head against his chest as he inhaled the smell of her shampoo.

"Just please be careful," he murmured, tightening the hug. "Stop looking for trouble."

"Ouch," Nikki giggled. "Not so hard. Sore ribs remember."

Harry let go immediately, pushing her away gently but not letting go.

"I do _not _go looking for trouble. It finds me. Now stop worrying and get changed, I'll meet you in there," Nikki pulled away and made her way to the cutting room, picking up her white overall trousers to slip on top of her skinny jeans.

"Oh and Harry," she added with a small smile that made Harry's heart skip a beat. "You know how to _brighten_ my day."

Harry laughed as she disappeared, before pulling out his yellow scrubs from his locker and changing quickly.

* * *

"I knew you liked them," Harry whispered to Nikki as she was sorting through the table of scalpels. "I'm telling Leo."

"You dare," Nikki threatened, pointing a scalpel in Harry's direction, causing him to laugh again.

"Ok, ok. Maybe I'll just have to wear them every day until he gets used to them too."

"_Nobody _wants to see canary yellow every day Harry, not even me," Nikki said, replacing the blade on the table.

"They're pumpkin actually," Harry smirked before jumping away to avoid the playful punch that Nikki aimed in his direction.

The sound of Shaw clearing his throat from the balcony made both Harry and Nikki stop, their eyes immediately falling on the body of the most recent victim that Zak had just finished preparing. Harry glanced at Nikki, yet was surprised to find how composed she seemed, the haunted look that he had witnessed in her eyes with the last victim now gone.

"Ready when you are, Dr Alexander," Shaw announced, and Harry had to hold back the glare that he was about to aim in the detective's direction. Why did they always assume that they were in charge, even in _their _cutting room?

"The body appears to be that of a young white woman, mid twenties to early thirties, measuring," Harry took the other end of the measuring tape that Nikki was holding, stretching it to the end of the victim's toes. "Roughly one hundred and sixty six centimetres tall."

Nikki smiled weakly at Harry before turning back to the slab.

"There's a single stab wound on the left side of the abdomen, measuring just over an inch in length, and nearly three inches in depth. Looks like a clean wound, no serrated edges. As well as bruises to her upper arms," Nikki trailed off. Harry shifted uncomfortably at the sight of Nikki's own bruises, just visible below the sleeve of her t-shirt.

Turning to Harry, Nikki gave him a small, reassuring smile before moving to the other end of the slab and taking one of the victim's hands in her own.

"There's no sign of self defence on the knuckles," Nikki tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "But there does seem to be small skin samples beneath the nails."

Carefully, she scraped a sample from beneath a couple of the nails, holding the scalpel in Harry's direction to drop the evidence into a test tube.

"I'll get Zak to send it down to the lab straight away," Harry motioned up to Shaw who nodded simply, a look in his eyes that Harry couldn't quite place.

Zak walked past at Harry's words, taking the sample from his hand with a nod before disappearing from the cutting room. Everyone seemed to know how important this case was, and how the need for quick results on anything that may be relevant was paramount.

Harry stepped closer, examining the other side of the body.

"There's a needle mark on the left arm," Harry said simply. "I'll send a blood sample to the lab too, but we can presume that it was likely caused by injecting Ketamine."

Nikki nodded slowly.

"Yeah," she sighed, turning away from the slab and the balcony, but Harry could see the emotions that she had been trying to hide flash across her features momentarily.

Continuing the examination, Harry moved further down the slab.

"Signs of recent sexual activity," Harry muttered, more to himself than anyone else, before letting out a small sigh of relief.

"Nikki," he said clearly, and she turned round to face him again. "I think we have a sample. You were right, they've slipped up at last. Between this and the samples under the nails, there must be something."

Nikki seemed to visibly relax at his words and glance up at the balcony to Shaw, who was already on the phone again.

"Don't worry, I've already put three bottles of wine in the fridge for tonight," Harry smiled weakly, knowing that Shaw was too distracted to be listening to their conversation.

"Tonight?" Nikki asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah, it's Friday. Film night?"

"I know, I just thought. Well you know, that Julia-" Nikki trailed off, looking down at her feet.

"Hey, I've told you before. No one, and I mean no one, will ever come between me, you, a cheesy film and a bottle of wine on a Friday night. Even if it _was _supposed to be your day off," Harry smirked, leaning against the sink.

"Well, I suppose," Nikki smiled back. "After all, it has been a long day. And if you already have a bottle of wine waiting…"

"Three," Harry reminded her, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch.

"Drunk," Nikki giggled, before turning back to the slab and picking up a new scalpel.

Harry watched Nikki as she made the necessary incision along the skin of the young, blonde victim. She might be good at hiding her feelings from Shaw, who was still watching from the balcony, but Harry knew differently. She was trying to put on a brave face, acting as if everything that had happened, and was happening with the case wasn't affecting her.

But even Harry couldn't help but think about the case on his lunch break, or as he was trying to get to sleep. He didn't know what it was about this case in particular, it just seemed to follow him, sticking in his mind. Even more than the Yates' case seemed to be, despite Julia asking questions about her sister every day. And if it was doing that to Harry, who knows what it was doing to Nikki.

The sooner this was all over, the better. For all of them.


	31. Chapter 31  It's Not Janet You Want

**Sorry, this ones a little jumpy, but I kind of want to get it moving because I hadn't noticed how long this was turning out to be :P**

**THANK YOU to everyone reading :)  
And a special thank you to heleni0, Lauren, Starr123, pinkswallowsun (Flossie and Clem :D), gem.S, EmmaJ1996, dinabar and Thyqua for reviewing the last chapter :)**

**I'll try to update sooner, I promise. But the TT is starting, and everything is becoming a little mad over here again, so I'll try to stay in and write a little more than I have been doing :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 31 – It's Not Janet You Want

"Her name was Shara Davis," Shaw announced, dropping the image of a smiling blonde between Harry and Nikki, who were both sat in the conference room. "I've gone through every photo and I'm sure this one matches. We'll need to check with a DNA sample of course, but I'm certain that is who she was."

"Her name still _is _Shara Davis," Nikki responded, and Harry couldn't help but smirk to himself at the look on Shaw's face. "Just because she's dead doesn't mean that she no longer has a name."

"Of course," Shaw smiled, yet Harry could see that it was forced. "I'm sorry. I'm going to phone the station, get one of my team to contact her family. If her husband is a painter, then there is very little chance that this is someone else."

"We'll phone you if anything else comes up," Harry said, leaning against the back of his chair.

"Likewise," Shaw nodded before turning and exiting the conference room, leaving Harry and Nikki alone with the image of the most recent victim, her details typed underneath that had been provided by her family.

"Twenty six," Nikki muttered, mainly to herself. "She was twenty six years old Harry. She had a husband. She had a two year old son. Whose lives will never be the same again. And for what? What are the killers getting out of this?"

"Nikki, you know as well as I do, they don't need a motive. They don't need a reason to destroy the lives of others," Harry stretched out his arm and dropped it over Nikki's shoulders, pulling her in slightly towards him. "Come on, we need to think of this as just another case. We know what can happen if we get too involved."

"Hmm," Nikki mumbled, but Harry knew that she would be thinking about the cases that has almost become too much. For both of them. Whether it was an ex-girlfriend or the death of a young child, there had been cases over the years that had pushed them to the edge. Pushed them until they nearly cracked. And it was during these cases that the other one had to step in to ensure that they didn't fall completely.

It was for that very reason that Harry knew he couldn't become too involved in this case. Because if he did, then who would be there to catch Nikki if she was pushed too close to the edge?

"Do you think Janet would mind looking over the new evidence?" Nikki asked finally, and Harry shrugged.

"I don't think so," he said before leaning over the desk to pick up the phone. It only rang twice before Leo picked up.

"Harry, you do realise that the phone has a different ring for an internal call, don't you?" Leo asked as he picked up.

"You're point being?" Harry said, leaning back in his chair again.

"My point being, you are only across the office. What do you want this time?"

"Actually, I don't want you, I want Janet," Harry smiled.

Leo chuckled.

"I know as well as you do that it's not Janet you _want_ Harry," Leo said quietly and Harry narrowed his eyes, glancing at the blonde pathologist who was flicking through the notes beside him.

"Shut up Leo," he sighed. "Anyway, is Janet meeting you here again tonight?"

"She always meets me on a Friday. We go out for dinner after I've finished," Leo answered. "Do you want me to ask her to come in slightly early?"

"Please," Harry said, stretching his arms slightly. "If she doesn't mind."

"Of course not," Leo responded. "I'll call her now."

Harry replaced the phone and looked back at Nikki who was still flicking through the papers.

"What was all that about," she asked casually, finally looking up.

"Well I thought that Janet would be able to let us know if there was anything new," Harry answered. "And I thought you usually listened to my conversations anyway."

"I do, and I did" she smiled. "I meant the bit when you told Leo to shut up."

"Oh," Harry smirked, hoping that the embarrassment he felt was not evident on his face. "Nothing. He just made a stupid comment. Anyway, Zak should be back with the results by the end of the day, so how about you help me with my case?"

"The Yates' one?" Nikki asked, and Harry nodded. "Have you spoken to Julia about it recently?"

"Julia still thinks that Ray killed Jennifer," Harry said, remembering his previous conversations with his girlfriend.

"And you still think that he didn't," Nikki stated matter-of-factly.

"And I still think that he didn't," Harry repeated, running his hands through his hair. "Scrub up Niks, let's go have another look."

* * *

Nikki stepped back from the body of Ray Yates, who was positioned on his front so that the deep wound was visible at the top of his spine, a startling contrast to his now paper white skin. She knew that Harry had been talking for the last few minutes, but she hadn't been paying attention to the words that had left his lips since he uncovered the body.

"So, now that I've been talking to myself for the last five minutes, would you like to explain why _you _think that Ray did not kill Jennifer, and vice versa," Harry questioned as he leant his elbows on the edge of the table, propping his chin on top of his fists. "Or are you just going to take my word for it? Which you've ignored."

"Sorry," Nikki mumbled. "It's been a really, really long day."

"You mean a really long day that you were supposed to have off," Harry smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," Nikki protested. "I get it Harry, if I had taken the day off, then this morning would have gone completely different. But it didn't. _So_, the reason I think Ray did not kill Jennifer, and Jennifer did not murder Ray, is mainly due to the fact that the radial artery on both of Jennifer's wrists have been severed. Making it impossible for her to stab Ray in the back. Or anywhere else for that matter. And if Ray had been stabbed first, then it would have been impossible for him to cut her wrists. They did _not _kill each other, no matter what Julia believes."

"Exactly what I've just said," Harry smirked. "Well, near enough anyway. So there must have been someone else involved, who left us a sample under their fingernails. And who isn't on our database. All I need to do now is convince Julia that this is the case."

"Hmmm," Nikki mumbled, thinking to herself. "You're about the same height as Ray, aren't you? And I suppose I'm roughly the same as Jennifer…"

Stepping away from the slab, Nikki placed her hands on Harry's arms, pushing him slightly until they were standing away from any obstacles.

"So let's say that you are Ray, and I'm Jennifer. If Ray had punched Jennifer, which the evidence suggests did happen, and I was to attack you in self defence," Nikki stepped closer, stretching her hand out and placing it on Harry's ribs. "Then naturally…"

"The stab wounds would be lower down," Harry finished, nodding his head. "But we established that the final cause of death was the wound to the chest, which severed the aorta. So the wound to the back could have been caused before or after the ones to his chest, depending on how quick he died."

"Even if he was stabbed in the back first," Nikki said as she took Harry's arms again and turned him around, clenching her hand into a fist and placing it on Harry's back. "She would have had to stretch up pretty high to stab him between the T4 and T5 vertebrae."

Harry spun round again, grabbing Nikki's still clenched fist in his hand, looking down until he met her eyes.

"So you agree then. Jennifer and Ray are both innocent. Well, of killing each other," Harry asked and Nikki nodded slowly.

"Yes," she managed to say, unsure why she found it so hard to speak now that Harry was so close. His aftershave seemed to swim around her, yet she couldn't seem to break the contact with him.

"Yes," she said more forcefully. "I think you need to have another talk with Julia."

At the thought of Julia, Nikki managed to pull herself away from Harry, instantly missing the contact as she took her wrist from Harry's grasp.

"After all, you've gotten a lot closer recently, haven't you? Maybe she'll be more willing to open up to you know," Nikki trailed off, aware that she was beginning to ramble on again, and not wanting a replay of the morning's argument.

"Maybe," Harry agreed, appearing behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, I think Janet will be here soon. And I for one can hear the wine calling me from my fridge."

* * *

"Nikki?" Shaw asked tentatively, holding his phone tightly. "It's Detective Shaw."

"Shaw, hi," Nikki answered brightly, and he felt a smile play on his lips.

"Ian," he answered. "Ian Shaw. If I get to call you by your first name, then I think it's only fair."

Nikki giggled slightly, and Shaw once again found himself smiling.

"Ok, Ian. Have you found something?"

"Yes, and no," Shaw answered. "I've been in contact with Shara Davis' family, and as we thought, her husband was a painter. He had been painting the fairground recently where she was found, until she had gone missing. I think he'll be in tomorrow to formally identify her."

He could hear Nikki sigh on the other end of the phone.

"We should get the DNA samples back later today, tomorrow morning at the latest. We just have to wait for a match then and we'll have them," Nikki said.

Shaw could tell that she was trying to remain optimistic, but even he could hear the doubt in her voice. Taking a deep breath he cleared his throat.

"Nikki, I- I was actually phoning to ask you something too. It's just- well- I was wondering if you wanted to go to the pub tonight? Just for a few drinks, you know, after such an eventful morning."

"Oh," Nikki answered, and Shaw instantly knew the answer.

"You know what, it was a silly idea. Sorry Dr Alexander, just ignore me," Shaw stuttered.

"No, no," Nikki said quickly. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just, I have plans tonight with Harry."

"Oh," Shaw said, mimicking Nikki's response. Of course she would have plans with Harry. He had seen them together when they were working, and had thought that there was something between them that they had been keeping to themselves. "Well, Harry is one lucky guy."

Nikki laughed again, and Shaw smiled weakly.

"It's not like that either," she laughed. "Harry has a girlfriend, and I, well, we're just good friends."

There was a pause, in which Shaw tried to think what to say.

"How about tomorrow?" Nikki asked, breaking the silence. "If you're free?"

"Yeah," Shaw answered enthusiastically. "Sounds perfect. I'll text you tomorrow then?"

"Sure," Nikki said warmly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," Shaw smiled before hanging up the phone and leaning back on the chair in his office.

'So maybe there was something positive to come out of this mess after all,' he thought to himself.

There was a knock at his door, before Maddox entered without warning, wiping the smile off Shaw's lips immediately.

* * *

"Ah, nice of you to join us," Harry laughed as Nikki entered the conference room again, where Harry, Leo and Janet were already sat around the images of the new victim.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Ian- I mean, Shaw phoned. It's definitely Shara Davis."

Nikki sat down, not missing the glance that Harry shot in her direction.

"So," Leo said. "What can you tell us?"

Nikki smiled at the way Leo looked at Janet, who complied by looking at him in the same way. There was something so perfect in that small glance. One that seemed to say everything they needed, without anyone else knowing what it was. And suddenly Nikki was hit by a pang on jealousy. She was envious of the way they could communicate silently with each other, and know exactly what the other one was saying. Of the way they looked into each others eyes, and instantly smiled. The fact that they had each other, no matter what.

Whereas Nikki had… well, she had Harry. But that was different, wasn't it? Yes he always knew what she was thinking. And yes she always felt safe when she was around him. But Harry didn't feel the same way. He had Julia to share all of that with, not her.

"Well," Janet started, picking up the photo of the crime scene. "At a first glance, the crime scene looks just the same as the others. The body is positioned in the same way, and all the wounds are the same. Which suggests that the same killer as before has actually murdered her. Even the bruises on her neck are identical. Did you get a final cause of death today?"

"Yeah, strangulation," Harry stated. "Same as the other girls. She would have bled to death if it wasn't for the fact that she was strangled first."

"But you said that you managed to get a sample from the fingernails?" Janet waited for Nikki to nod before she continued. "Which would suggest that this one was rushed. As if they didn't have time to clean them, or that they had forgotten. And you managed to get another sample?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed again. "There was evidence of sexual activity, much more recent that with the other victims. We managed to get a sample."

"Again, it sounds like this was rushed," Janet stated. "With the other victims, you could tell that they had been raped, but it had been too long to get a proper sample. Like they had been kept for a couple of days after the event before they were dumped."

"The stomach contents were different too," Nikki said, suddenly remembering the results from the post mortem. "There was no bread or water like with the other girls. The stomach was pretty much empty."

"So it looks like she wasn't held as long as the other girls," Janet sighed. "And the card…"

Picking up the image of the playing card, Janet tilted her head slightly.

"This isn't the killer's idea," she said quietly. "The card was just left at the scene, as if it was an after thought. I think that the card was the other killer's idea. Well, I don't think that the other person involved is actually a killer. I think that the killer, who has definitely killed every victim… I think they acted along on this one. He doesn't see the importance of the cards, and that's why it was just left there rather than being sent to us."

"So he doesn't understand the rules to his own game," Nikki heard Harry mutter to himself, and Leo nodded in agreement. "Well let's just hope that this slip up is the one that we've been waiting for."

"It has to be," Nikki sighed.

Because if it wasn't, if they had to wait for countless more girls to be murdered, for more Ruby's, and Rebecca's, and Lisa's and now Shara's… then she didn't know if she would be able to cope.

Leo and Janet seemed to fall into a steady conversation as Nikki focused on the images in front of them, both the smiling happy photo of Shara Davis, and the image if her just days later at the crime scene. It wasn't until Harry leant over to her, so his lips were almost touching his ear that she managed to bring herself back to reality.

"So," he whispered. "It's Ian now is it?"

"Shut up Harry," she muttered back, feeling the corner of her lips twitch and he chuckled beside her.


	32. Chapter 32  Liquor Cabinet

**First of all, I am so sorry for the delay in updating!**

**But thank you so much to everyone still reading, and a MASSIVE thank you to freitazal, Lizziginne, Thyqua, EmmaJ1996, pinkswallowsun, Starr123, Lauren and gem.S for reviewing the last chapter. You are all beyond amazing :D**

**And Starr123 - yup it's the TT racing :) Which is why I've had so little time to write. It's the time of year when our little island of about 80,000 people is invaded with about 30,000 visitors for two weeks... dodging that many bikes when you're driving isn't fun :P But everything is going back to normal now, which hopefull means I can stay in more and write :)**

**Oh, and I promise everyone that by the end of the fic, Julia will be gone. Pinky promise :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 32 – Liquor cabinet

Nikki squeezed her eyes shut tight and pulled the bed sheets up to her eyes, tucking herself into a tight ball. Almost instantly she recognised the smell that surrounded her and her mind went into overdrive. The smell of his aftershave that was usually so comforting instead startled her awake fully as her surroundings began to merge into focus.

It wasn't that she hadn't woken up here before. Actually, she had woken up here so many times over the years that she had lost count. But there was something different this time, and she couldn't quite work out what it was. It wasn't until she had pushed herself up to a sitting position that the realisation hit her, and she felt the small smile that was on her lips slip off completely.

Harry's bedroom looked just as it always had, his discarded clothes scattering the glossy floor, the only light coming from the bright red glow of his alarm clock. But there was something else. Something that changed everything drastically, and yet was no where to be seen.

It was the smell of perfume. A sugary, sweet scent that almost burnt her nostrils, and seemed to drown out the smell of aftershave completely, making her head spin. It was the smell of Julia.

Nikki had the sudden urge to get out from underneath the sheets, and yet as her feet hit the floor her head suddenly spun more than it had been as the memories of the night before began to push themselves through into her consciousness. Sitting on the edge of the bed she sighed, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hands.

They had left the Lyell Centre late, she could remember that much. They had been waiting for the results from the lab before they left, but by the time it had reached half ten they had all but given up. Zak had arrived shortly afterwards, slinking into the office to try and avoid Harry who was rapidly losing patience, only to announce that due to the backlog of work, the results wouldn't be available until the next morning.

Harry had a few choice words at the information, and Nikki was sure that a case file had been thrown across the office, but the annoyed look from Leo told Nikki that it was time to take Harry home. They had picked up a Chinese take-away on the way back to Harry's, stopping at a DVD rental shop to borrow a recent film after Nikki had announced that Harry didn't have any decent films at his, and she was not, under any circumstances, watching one of his gruesome horror films.

To be honest, Nikki couldn't even remember what film it was that they had borrowed. Harry had grabbed the first one he came to on the 'new releases' rack, desperate to get beck to the wine that was waiting for them in the fridge, and Nikki hadn't complained. She was just as desperate to sit down next to Harry and forget about work for a couple of hours.

Nikki rubbed her eyes again, breathing out deeply. It had just been another one of their Friday film nights, and yet she had somehow managed to wake up in Harry's bed, even though she had always made a point to make her way home at the end of the night. So, if Nikki was still at Harry's, and her head was pounding, a dull ache behind her eyes… there was little chance that there was any wine left in the fridge.

One bottle. That's what she had told herself as she had entered Harry's. One bottle of wine, a crappy film, and then she would leave. After all, it wouldn't be right to stay too long, not now that Harry had Julia.

Julia. She had been the topic of many conversations last night, she could remember that too. She had asked him so many questions about her once the alcohol had started and she seemed to loose control of her actions. How serious _were _they really? How many times had she woken up with him? Did she have any other family? Where did she work? Not that she could remember any of the answers…

Nikki groaned as she stood up, clumsily making her way to the en suite in Harry's room. She squinted at the brightness of the light as she flicked the switch, and leant against the side of the sink. Staring into the mirror, she tilted her head, taking in her appearance. Her hair was a mess, her loose blonde waves sticking up at every angle through her once neat plait. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to be darker than they had the previous day, her black mascara smudged across the side of her cheeks. Splashing her face with the cold water from the sink she dried her cheeks with the white towel that hung on Harry's radiator, leaving black mascara marks across the material.

Realising that this probably wasn't the best time to leave any evidence that she had stayed the night, with Julia being around so much, she grabbed the towel from the radiator. She would stick it in Harry's washing machine before she left, and that way Julia wouldn't speculate, and Harry wouldn't moan that she had ruined _another _towel with her make up.

"No wonder you're single Nikki Alexander," she muttered to her reflection in the mirror.

Her cheeks were now a blotchy red, the traces of her mascara still evident on her skin, and the fact that she was still wearing yesterday's clothes didn't help matters in the slightest. Even Nikki could see that she looked tired, and all she wanted to do was to crawl back into bed, pull the sheets over her head, and sleep for a week. But she was at Harry's, she had work in a few hours, and she was supposed to be meeting Shaw tonight… not that she was looking forward to drinking even more with a detective who would talk about nothing but the case.

Nikki yawned as she quietly tip toed into the living room, Harry's sleeping form just visible on the sofa. From where she was standing she could see that Harry was also wearing yesterday's clothes, his feet handing over the edge of the arm rest, his own arm falling onto the floor. She quickly threw the towel into the washing machine before walking round the sofa so she could see Harry properly. He looked peaceful, despite the awkward angles which he was lying, and Nikki couldn't help but smile at the way his mouth hung open slightly.

Quietly, she sat on the floor next to Harry, leaning her head against the edge of the sofa near Harry's stomach and listened to his heavy breathing on the back of her neck. She didn't notice that her eyes were drifting closed until she startled awake nearly forty minutes later, her neck aching.

"Why did I give up my perfectly good bed, just so you could sleep on the floor?" Harry asked casually, and Nikki looked up to find Harry lying on his back, his hands behind his head on the arm of the couch.

"I'm guessing you put me there?" she replied, yawning slightly but with no trace of embarrassment in her voice. It wasn't like it was the first time Harry had put her to bed in the last couple of weeks after all.

"Only after you passed out on the rug," Harry added.

"But it was only a couple of bottles of wine wasn't it?"

"Hmm," Harry smiled. "Yeah, only three bottles of wine, half a bottle of vodka, the whiskey that you always state is 'disgusting', and whatever else you managed to find in my liquor cabinet when I went to the loo. Honestly Niks, I know you can handle your drink, but I'm surprised you managed to even make it out of bed this morning."

"Shut up," Nikki moaned. "I wasn't that bad. I can kind of, only slightly remember… nah I can't remember much at all actually."

Harry chuckled, throwing his legs over the side of the sofa and placing his head in his hands, mirroring Nikki's earlier body language. "Nah, me neither."

"Pain killers for breakfast then?" Nikki asked and Harry groaned, nodding in confirmation.

"I'm going for a shower, then we should probably get going," Harry yawned, stretching his arms as he lay back into the sofa. "You can go after me if you want?"

"I need to go home before work," Nikki said, raising her eyebrows. "I can't go into work in the same clothes can I?"

"You don't need to. I think half of my wardrobe is taken up with your clothes that you've left here and never taken home again. Seriously Nikki, you have too many clothes if you haven't noticed that you've left so many here," Harry smiled as he made his way to the bathroom. "I'll drive us to work when you're ready seeing as your car is still at your place. And I think you're still too drunk to be behind the wheel…"

"Piss off Harry," Nikki groaned, pulling a face at him as he disappeared.

Waiting until she could hear the water running from the shower, Nikki entered Harry's room and opened his wardrobe. Right enough, there were more of Nikki's clothes than Harry's, some of which she had completely forgotten about. After flicking through, Nikki quickly changed before Harry had finished, and went to wait for him in the living room.

Tucking her feet up on the couch, Nikki curled up in the corner, wrapping her arms around her knees. She couldn't remember how many times she had found herself at Harry's, waiting for him to get out the shower, and by now it had become almost second nature. They seemed to fall into a routine instantaneously, as if they were a couple. But they weren't of course. They were nothing like a couple. They were best friends, and nothing more. Not that Nikki was complaining. She would take waking up in best friend Harry's bed alone over someone else's bed any day. Because at Harry's, she knew that she would never, ever leave feeling unwanted and used as she had from so many of her 'unsuitable' ex's.

* * *

"Do you want the good news or bad news first?" Zak asked, holding up the reports in front of Harry and Nikki, who were both leaning against the side of Harry's desk.

"Good," Harry answered at the same time that Nikki answered "Bad," causing Zak to roll his eyes.

"How did I know you were going to say that," he smirked.

"Bad news first to get it out the way," Nikki shrugged.

"Fair enough," Zak said. "Well, actually, I have more than one bit of good news, so I'll do it time around, then maybe the bad won't seem to bad," Zak added, but the smile quickly slipped from his lips at the annoyed look on Harry's face.

Flicking through the notes quickly, Zak continued, knowing that keeping Harry waiting, especially on a Saturday morning, was not a good idea.

"Ok, good news, the DNA results were useful, and there was enough of the sample to get a reading," Zak smiled, but again the smile didn't last long with the look from Harry.

"And the bad news?" Harry pressed.

"Bad news, the DNA doesn't match anything on the system," Zak paused as Nikki sighed.

"But, good news," he continued quickly. "It does match the DNA from another body you have. Another two bodies actually. The Yates…"

Zak could see the emotions dance across both Harry and Nikki's features as they glanced at each other, and didn't miss the frown of Nikki's nose, or the crease on Harry's forehead, as if they were communicating with each other telepathically.

"I need the notes on the Yates' case," Harry said, jumping up from the side of the desk.

"I need the case notes on the playing card killer," Nikki said briskly, making her way to her own desk.

"Wait wait there's more," Zak said, and this time he couldn't help but smile widely. "The other sample also had a match. But this time it's all good news. There was enough for a DNA match, and this time the DNA was on the system. We have a name, a face, and an address for someone who had sexual intercourse with Shara Davis before she was murdered. This is what we've been waiting for."

Within seconds, both Harry and Nikki had disappeared to the conference room, leaving Zak standing in the office alone, the lab results still in his hand.

"Thanks Zak," Harry said suddenly, making Zak startle as he appeared behind him and took the results. "Let Leo know won't you?"

"Sure," Zak muttered, watching as Harry almost jogged back to the conference room.

"Come on Zak, no time like the present," Harry shouted across the office. "We might actually be getting somewhere here."


	33. Chapter 33  Bring Him In

**Sorry, again, for the update length. I had to write a new CV after my laptop decided to lose my other one. And I am currently in the process of refusing to believe the fact that I actually have to grow up... I think I'd rather stay a student forever :P**

**Anyway, THANK YOU to everyone reading and reviewing. EmmaJ1996, Thyqua, pinkswallowsun, Lizziginne, Starr123, gem.S, Ann1119, dinabar, lilypad1, Vixi89, lol and freitazal - You are all beyond AMAZING!**

**I think this is finally starting to move on now, and I have a lot of the later chapters finished and the plot lined out. So lets hope I don't go off in a Harry/Nikki tangent again :P**

**xXX**

* * *

Chapter 33 – Bring Him In

"Ian, it's Nikki," Nikki announced once Shaw had finally picked up his phone. She had been trying to get in contact with him for the past ten minutes, whilst Harry and Leo hastily collected every fragment of information they had on both the Yates case and the 'Playing Card' case.

"Nikki," Shaw said brightly. "Is this about tonight, because I haven't forgotten? I thought we could go to this quiet little place near the station-"

"No, it's not about tonight," Nikki whispered quickly, hoping that Harry wasn't listening to her conversation as he was talking on his own mobile. "There's a match on one of the DNA samples we took from Shara Davis."

"Oh," Shaw answered simply, before the information seemed to sink in. "Oh, brilliant. You said they were going to slip up! What's the name, I'll get the team out looking for him?"

"Mr Frank Lemming. According to the database he's been arrested before, so it shouldn't be too hard to find him," Nikki said hopeful.

"You checked the DNA against the police records too?"

"Of course," Nikki said, slightly surprised. "That's how we found him, and that's why it took slightly longer for the results to get here."

"Well at least we have a name. I'll call you as soon as we know anything," Shaw said. "See you later."

And with that he hung up, leaving Nikki staring at the scattered notes that covered most of the table that Harry and Leo were both flicking through silently.

* * *

"Frank Lemming!" Maddox shouted through the office, making every head turn in his direction. "DNA match just confirmed, and I want him in the office in the next two hours, maximum. No excuses. He's been arrested previously for sexual assault, and both his home and work's address are on file, so he shouldn't be too hard to find. Considering it's a Saturday, I assume he'll be at home, so I want there checked first."

Maddox stopped, scanning the office quickly.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Now!" he shouted again and everyone seemed to scatter, knowing what their role involved.

All that was, apart from Shaw, who instead leant against a desk, watching him closely.

"What?" Maddox shot, but Shaw just narrowed his eyes even further.

"This is my investigation," Shaw almost growled. "It's my case, my suspect and my call when and how we bring him in for questioning."

Maddox smirked slightly, stepping further to Shaw and lowering his voice.

"He is _our _suspect actually. I've just got off the phone to Dr Cunningham, and it looks like the cases are linked. So any information on _your _case, is information on _my _case, no matter how significant the information turns out to be. So don't you ever-" Maddox pointed a finger in Shaw's direction. "Ever, tell me how to run this office."

Shaw stood up from the side of his desk so that they were only a foot apart, each one daring the other to turn away first. It wasn't until another officer walked into the office that they both turned in his direction, finally breaking their silent stand-off.

"Farrow," Maddox almost shouted. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out searching for our suspect?"

"I thought I'd stay here and read up about him from the case files. Just so we know what we're dealing with when we bring him in," Farrow stuttered, his gaze dancing between Shaw and Maddox.

"This is someone who was arrested after he was found hanging round a street corner trying to pick up a prostitute. There's not much to read up on really," Shaw explained, leaning against the desk again, trying to look casual whilst Maddox made his way back to his own office, taking out his mobile as he did so.

Shaw knew that Maddox was his superior, yet he also knew that it was him, not Maddox, that had earned the respect of their fellow colleagues. He didn't know why exactly, but he did know that compared to Maddox, he was much more approachable. He could get things done without having to raise his voice, and he didn't spend so much time in his office. Maybe that's why he was trusted – because he tried to act like just another part of the team, and not above anyone else.

Farrow nodded quickly, busying himself with a pile of paperwork.

"You looking for something to do? We do have a suspect to bring in you know?" Shaw asked, watching the officer closely. He knew that Farrow was fairly new to the police force, and yet his level headedness meant that he became part of their team almost instantly.

"I'm sorry," Farrow sighed. "It's just- I've had a lot on at home recently, and my heads all over the place."

"Sorry to hear that," Shaw said sympathetically. "If there's anything you need help with, just let me know, ok?"

"Sure," Farrow nodded. "I'm sure it'll all work out eventually. I think my wife's just struggling with getting used to being an 'officer's wife', you know? Just a bit of a change for her, for all of us really. And my daughter is just about to leave school, and so she wants me to go and look at all these different universities with her, but I just haven't had the time."

Farrow paused, looking at Shaw and sighing slightly.

"I'm babbling, aren't I? And we have a suspect to find. Sorry."

"Why don't you go thorough the file anyway?" Shaw smirked. "You never know, you might find something useful."

"Thanks," Farrow nodded, making his way to the back office.

"No problem," Shaw said, more to himself than anyone else. "You won't find anything we don't already know…"

* * *

"Eh, Harry," Zak stuttered nervously, knocking on the conference door and noticing Harry and Nikki leaning over the table, their heads almost touching as they studied the notes. "You got a minute?"

"Not really," Harry answered. "Is it important?"

"Yeah. Well, it depends. But I think it is," Zak said.

"You're as vague as ever Zak," Harry warned, raising his eyebrows and smiling slightly.

"Ok. Don't get angry though, because technically, you haven't noticed so far, so maybe it's not _that _important," Zak mumbled.

"Zak! What is it?" Harry asked again with his full attention.

"Well, you remember a few weeks ago, when the Yates' bodies first came in? And you performed the first post mortems?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "What about it?"

"Do you remember what you found when you were performing the PM on Jennifer?"

"Yes," Nikki frowned. "She was pregnant. Why-"

But then Nikki seemed to freeze, her eyes becoming full of understanding.

"We sent off a sample from Jennifer, Ray and the foetus…" she stated, her expression blank.

"Yeah," Zak nodded. "And the lab kind of, lost the results. I told you not to get angry Harry!" Zak pointed out as Harry through his head back.

"Please tell me you are here because they have _found _the results?" Harry said, his voice low.

"I am," Zak smiled. "So you don't need to get angry. Or throw anything."

"Zak, results!" Nikki exclaimed, and Zak quickly continued.

"They didn't match," he blurted out, looking between Nikki and Harry. "Jennifer's baby. It wasn't Ray's."

"Oh," Harry said, his eyebrows knitted together once more. "So if Ray found out, that could be the reason they were arguing? Any match on the system as to who the father might be? What about Frank Lemming?"

"Already checked," Zak said. "No match."

"Thanks Zak," Harry nodded slowly as Zak left again.

Both Harry and Nikki remained silent for a few minutes, each staring at the notes in front of them.

"It gives Ray a motive to kill Jennifer," Harry broke the silence. "He wasn't the father."

"I thought you said you didn't think Jennifer was aware she was pregnant. After the wine in the stomach contents?"

"Or she was trying to conceal the fact from Ray," Harry mused.

"So if Ray killed Jennifer, who murderer Ray?" Nikki sighed. "Harry I thought we'd been over this. There has to be someone else involved. And the same someone is involved in the Playing Card killer case."

There was silence between them again, and Nikki watched Harry closely, nervous about continuing.

"Harry," she said quietly. "I think you need to have another talk with Julia."

"Why?" Harry shot, a brief glimpse of anger in his expression. "Why do you insist that Julia is involved in this?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Nikki said tentatively. "I just mean that maybe- maybe she knows more than she's said already. Maybe she knows something else?"

"She doesn't," Harry stated simply.

"And you know that for sure do you?" Nikki said, feeling the anger rise within her. "Because you know Julia that well? Do you Harry?"

"Yes, I do!" Harry almost growled. "I do know her. She is my girlfriend Nikki, and I know you don't like that fact, but she is."

"Don't start this again Harry," Nikki said quietly. "I told you last time, the fact that you and Julia are an item doesn't bother me in the slightest! I just think that you need to-"

"She wasn't involved!"

"If you know her so well Harry, then where does she work? Go on, tell me!" Nikki shouted, the drunken night slowly becoming clearer in her mind. She had asked him so many questions, but now she thought about it properly, he hadn't answered any of them. Not properly.

"I don't need to prove myself to you. I don't need to prove how much I know about Julia. How much I love- how much I care about her."

"I didn't say you did," Nikki whispered, before standing up and making her way to leave the conference room.

"You didn't see her Nikki," Harry shouted after her. "You didn't have to stand and watch her fall apart the day she identified Jennifer's body!"

"Shock doesn't always equal innocence Harry. You're the one who told me that, remember?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Yeah I do. The Flannery case wasn't it? The one that you _insisted_ was a staircase fall, and which did in fact, turn out to be murder. Like I had thought."

"Tom Flannery was innocent!"

"And so is Julia!"

They remained staring at each other, until finally Nikki turned and left. But not before Harry noticed the tears that were forming in her eyes, and which she had been desperately trying to hide.

He'd done it again. He'd upset her, when he knew that she was struggling with the case. But he couldn't keep backing down. He knew he was right. He had gotten to know Julia over the past few weeks, and he knew that there was no way she was capable of being involved in anything sinister. He knew her… and yet he didn't know where she worked…

"What's happened this time?" Leo asked, appearing at the door to the conference room.

"Don't ask," Harry muttered, leaning his head in his hands.

"Well, sort it," Leo sighed. "I need you both concentrating fully. Detective Shaw should be interviewing the suspect soon, and then we'll go from there. But if these two cases are linked, then you need to work together, just like you always have done, and put whatever stupid problems you have to one side. Ok?"

"Ok," Harry mumbled, not making eye contact with Leo.

"Good," Leo nodded, leaving Harry alone, and with the feeling that he had just been scolded from a parent, just like a small child.

* * *

"How much does he know?"

"Nothing," the woman stuttered, not able to hide the nervousness in her voice. "He doesn't know anything."

"You better hope not, because within the next hour, he will be questioned. And if he knows anything, _anything_, then I can guarantee that you will pay for it," he spat, causing her hands to shake slightly.

"I seem to remember that it was you that messed this up," she tried to sound calm, and yet her voice shook uncontrollably. "If you hadn't killed her, then they wouldn't have any DNA!"

"Two sets of DNA actually," he laughed menacingly. "One from our friend, who will be getting a very unwelcomed wake up call this morning. And one from someone else… you."

"No. You're lying. There is no way that they can have my DNA. You cleaned the body, like we always do. You did clean the body, didn't you?"

"It may have slipped my mind," he said casually. "I was preoccupied. You weren't there."

"Because you rushed it!"

"She ran! I stopped her. There was no way that we could take her back, not after what she had done. We couldn't use her any more," his words sounded final.

"You didn't clean her fingernails!" she now sounded hysterical. "What if they find us?"

"_Us_? No, there is no us. It is _your _DNA they have, not mine."

"I'm not going down for this on my own. If I'm found, then you're coming with me!" she shouted, her knuckled turning white as she gripped her mobile.

"Oh, I think you'll find I won't. You see, nobody will believe you, not once I've told my side of the story. And there is no evidence that I've been involved. Don't forget, we need someone else. And I think I know who we can use. Phone me later and I'll explain, I can't talk now. You know the number. Four o'clock. Not a second later. If you don't, you know what will happen. You don't want to end up in a body bag too, do you?"

And the phone went dead once again.


	34. Chapter 34  I Suggest You Talk

**Yeah, I know, I'm useless at updating at the moment... I seem to have even less time to write now that my exams are finished :P**

**Thank you to everyone who is still sticking with this. I know it's been a long journey... longer than I thought actually. But I promise it's starting to go somewhere :)**

**A MASSIVE thank you to Thyqua, Starr123, pinkswallowsun, Vixi89, gem.S, dinabar, EmmaJ1996 and Butterflied1990 for your reviews. You make me smile. LOTS!**

**This one is a little longer, and doesn't have much of the main characters. But I hope it gives a little more information on what might be going on :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 34 – I Suggest You Talk

"Coffee?" Harry asked casually, as he strolled past Nikki who was obviously trying to ignore him, flicking through a case file.

He stopped when he got to the kitchen without receiving any reply, and sighed to himself. He'd sat in the conference room for the last hour, giving Nikki a chance to calm down before he went to talk to her, but it obviously hadn't been long enough. Why it had to be Harry that apologised, he'd never know. It wasn't exactly his fault that Nikki had snapped at him again. Yes she was tired with the case, and yes she was frustrated by the lack of evidence, but none of that was his fault, was it? She didn't need to take it out on him and Julia, they had nothing to do with it.

And yet it was Harry that Leo had treated like a child. It was Harry that was made to feel guilty about the way he had spoken to Nikki. And it was Harry that was now being ignored. Again.

"Fine then," he said loudly. "You can make your own coffee. But just to let you know, I make it much better than you do."

Harry smiled and stuck his head round the corner from the kitchen, but Nikki was still ignoring him, her head tilted to the side just as it was before.

"What a surprise," he mumbled to himself, making his way back to the kettle. "It wasn't even my fault, and yet she's so bloody stubborn."

Walking back through the office, Harry sat at his desk and leant forward on his elbows so he was facing Nikki, who still refused to look up at him. Drumming his fingers on the surface, he frowned slightly, taking in the expression that was painted on Nikki's features. He could tell that she was still annoyed, but there was a tiny twitch playing on the corner of her lips, and Harry knew that it was only a matter of time before she gave in.

"Right, well, seeing as your obviously pretending I am invisible, I'll talk. Which, might I add, makes a change, because usually I can't get a word in edge ways," Harry smirked, but with no response. "Nikki, I'm not sorry. Well, I am, but I'm not. I'm sorry I lost my temper again, but I'm not sorry about what I said."

Harry leant back and sighed heavily, throwing his hands behind his head.

"I know her Nikki. Not as well as I should, I agree, but I know her well enough to know that she's not capable of being involved in anything like this," Harry paused, watching Nikki closely. "There was someone else involved, we both know that. But we have two cases, two _major _cases, that we now know are linked. And there is no way that we are going to find out what happened if we don't work together. Can't we just agree to disagree?"

Nikki sighed and shifted slightly in her seat, but still didn't look up.

"Nikki you can't ignore me forever," Harry protested, throwing his head back.

"I can try," she mumbled, and Harry couldn't help but smile.

"I think you've just failed," Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Shut up and make me a coffee," Nikki smiled, still not looking up from her notes, and Harry passed over one of the two mugs of coffee he had waiting on his desk.

* * *

"Interview room one," Maddox instructed as two officers walked through the door, following a tall, slim built man in his late thirties, who matched the image and description of Mr Frank Lemming perfectly.

Frank Lemming had mousy blonde, short hair, narrow shoulders, and a long, pointed face. He was soft spoken, casually dressed, and was the kind of guy that could easily blend into a crowd without any problem, and yet it was his DNA that was found on the body, no matter how innocent he seemed to look.

Maddox watched as Frank was led towards the interview room, his expression remaining blank, even when he turned to look straight at the detective.

'They may look innocent,' Maddox thought. 'But there's always a secret hidden away.'

Pushing back his shoulders, Maddox made his way to follow the officers to the interview room, yet Shaw stepped in almost immediately, blocking his way.

"This is my suspect," Shaw narrowed his eyes. "The cases may be linked, but it was a victim from _my _case that was directly involved with this guy. So back off."

"You're making a huge mistake Shaw," he growled. "A huge mistake."

"I think I can handle him," Shaw smirked, turning on his heals and walking away. "I can be very persuasive when I want to be. I'm sure I can get the truth out of him."

The truth? God, Maddox hoped that Frank didn't know the truth. If he did, if Lemming told Shaw what he knew… everything would change. Everything.

Maddox knew from experience that Frank Lemming was not a murderer. He was a creep, yes, but a murderer? No. He was only interested in one thing, and that's exactly why his DNA was now on the system. He just hoped that for all their sakes, Frank Lemming knew when to keep his mouth shut, and how much to say. Because if he didn't, then things were going to get very messy indeed.

* * *

Shaw slammed his fist on the desk, listening as the echo vibrated through the enclosed room. And yet Frank Lemming didn't flinch in the slightest.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way? It's your choice Lemming."

Frank laughed, his eyes fixed to the blacked out window on the opposite wall.

"You think this is funny do you?" Shaw spat.

Frank laughed again.

"Of course not. I don't really appreciate being pulled out of my home first thing in the morning, for no apparent reason. But it's just, well, _cliché _doesn't really sum all this up does it? 'Do I want it the hard way or the easy way', I mean come on Detective, not very original, is it?"

"I would tread _very _carefully if I were you," Shaw lowered his voice. "You're suspected of being involved in four, maybe six murders. And if you don't start talking, then you're going to be here a very long time."

"Murder!" Frank Lemming spluttered, suddenly sitting up straighter. "You think I'm capable of murder?"

"Capable? Of course you're capable. Everyone is capable of murder," Shaw leant against the side of the wall, crossing his arms. "So are you going to tell me why you killed her?"

"Killed who?" Frank shouted, his voice shaking slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Shara Davis," Shaw almost growled, leaning against the table towards him. "Young, slim, blonde. She had a husband, and a young son. She had her whole life ahead of her."

"I don't know who you're talking about," Frank shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Shaw reached into his pocket, pulling out a sheet of paper, before unfolding it and dropping it onto the table in front of the suspect.

"Recognise her now?"

Frank's eyebrows knitted together as he studied the missing person's image, looking back up at Shaw after a few seconds.

"She's dead?" he muttered quietly.

"So now you remember her?"

"I didn't kill her," Frank stuttered. "I didn't hurt her!"

"Then _how _did we find your DNA on her body?" Shaw asked. "Now that we've finally established that you _do _recognise her."

Frank Lemming rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands, leaning his elbows on the table.

"You know why my DNA is on record, don't you?" he sighed. "Well, it was the same thing."

"Your DNA is on file after you were caught by an undercover police officer, who you thought was a prostitute," Shaw stated.

"Yes," Frank nodded.

"And you're trying to tell me that Shara Davis was a prostitute? That you picked her up on a street corner!" Shaw raised his voice.

"No, do you really think I'm that stupid? Do you really think I'd try the same thing again after what happened the last time?" Frank's voice was beginning to shake again.

"Well you better explain how you managed to get involved with her, and how your DNA was found on her body, otherwise you're going to be held for rape, if not murder!" Shaw shouted, leaning in even closer.

"I didn't rape her, and I didn't murder her!"

"Then how-"

"I paid for it!" Frank looked up, his eyes full of anger. "Ok? I paid for _her_."

"Shara Davis was not a prostitute! You did not find her on a street corner offering herself to you. She had a family," Shaw leaned against the wall again, exhaling deeply.

"No. No street corners, I've already told you. It was set up. I was contacted and-"

"Wait, contacted?" Shaw narrowed his eyes. "Contacted by who?"

"I don't know," Frank shook his head. "I don't know."

Shaw moved around to the other side of the table before leaning against the side.

"I think you do."

"Well I don't," Frank frowned, his eyes locking with Shaw's properly for the first time.

"You don't know who arranged it? And yet you still expect me to believe that she willingly had sex with you, even though she had been reported missing by her husband."

"Look, I'll tell you everything I know if it proves that I am not a murderer!" Frank was now beginning to shake uncontrollably, his eyes darting between Shaw and the blacked out window.

Shaw waited, remaining silent, until Frank sighed again, placing his hands on the table.

"After I was caught by the undercover police officer, well, I knew that it would be stupid to try again. I knew you had my DNA on file, and that I was on your records, so it wouldn't take much for me to be found again," Frank rubbed his eyes, as if composing himself. "It's not like I'm addicted to it or anything you know. I know you're probably all judging me. It's just, how do I put it? I'm not the kind of guy who can easily pick up a girl on a night out. I don't have that 'skill.' So I have to pay for it.

"It was about a month ago I was contacted. I don't know who it was, and it was always a private number. I don't even know how she got my number if I'm honest. She asked me a few questions, then told me she'd phone back."

"What kind of questions?" Shaw interrupted.

"What I preferred. You know, age, build, hair colour," Frank listed.

"You're talking as if you can just order her from a catalogue," Shaw's voice was raising again. "They weren't some play thing Lemming!"

"I'm just telling you what happened," Frank said quietly, waiting for Shaw to lean against the wall again before he continued. "She phoned. I answered her questions. Young, slim and blonde in case you hadn't guessed already. Then she told me that I was a suitable client. That they specialised in blondes. But again, you've probably already worked that out. And then I was told to wait, whilst they found the perfect match.

"So I waited for her to phone me back. And eventually she did. Last night in fact. I was told to meet at a small house, a few miles away, and to keep all the curtains closed. The house looked like it had been empty for years, but there was a small bedroom, which seemed to be clean enough, unlike the rest of the house. It took me a while to find, it was hidden between trees. As if there used to be more houses there, but now it's the only abandoned one that's left. So I put the money in an envelope, like she asked me to, and left it on the doorstep. And I waited, and it was dark, and eventually I could see lights from behind the curtains. But I had been told to keep the curtains closed, so I did. And to stay in the bedroom. I heard the front door open, and then the bedroom door open."

"And it was Shara?"

"Yes."

"Anyone else?"

"No."

Shaw tilted his head, studying the way Frank twisted his hands together.

"So what happened?"

Frank looked up again, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean, what happened? She did what she had been sent to do. Well, kind of. To be honest, I was far from happy with the service. She was beautiful, and she had on this tiny little red lingerie, and bright red heels. But she seemed lethargic, as if she didn't really want to be there. She cried a lot, but she did everything I asked. You know, now that I look back on it, she seemed scared. But I wanted what I'd paid for, so I made sure I got it. How was I to know that she wasn't a prostitute? Everything had been arranged, and I'd been promised one of her 'Blonde Girls.' That's what she called her. Blondie. I didn't know who she was, but I thought that she was just having a bad day or something," Frank put his hands on the table again.

"So did she stay the night?" Shaw asked carefully.

"No," Frank shook his head. "She was supposed to. Well, she was supposed to stay as long as I wanted her to. That's what she told me on the phone, that if I paid in advance, I could have her as long as I wanted. But as soon as I went to the toilet, she disappeared. She just ran off."

"Did you follow her?"

"No I did not!" Frank shouted. "I've told you, I didn't kill her. She was alive when she left, and I didn't go after her. I was in the bathroom when I heard the front door open again, so I went back to the bedroom, and she'd gone. I looked out the window, but it was dark, and I couldn't see a thing. Just trees. So I got my stuff together and I left."

"And you didn't see anything? Nothing at all?"

"No," Frank exhaled, leaning his elbows back on the desk. "I didn't see a thing. I'd parked around the corner from the house, but even when I was going back to the car, I didn't see anything. I don't know where she went."

There was silence as Shaw paced the room, his arms crossed.

"And you never met anybody? You never met the woman on the phone?" he asked.

Frank Lemming shook his head slowly.

"Never."

"You'll take us to the house," Shaw said eventually. "Later, once we've checked a few things. Then we'll consider how likely your story is. Until then, you can stay in one of the cells."

And with that said, he left the interview room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Maddox watched Shaw exit, his expression unreadable.

"Farrow!" the officer jumped at his name. "Stick him in a cell, and make sure he stays there until I say so."

Farrow jumped up immediately, nodding as Shaw stormed through the office and out the door. Maddox had heard the entire interview from the other side of the glass, and had seen Shaw's temper fluctuate throughout. The officer's may prefer Shaw over himself, but there was no way he was going to let Shaw undermine him. This was his office after all.

"Farrow, leave him there. I want a word with him first," Maddox instructed, just as Farrow had put his hand on the door handle.

"But Shaw said-"

"I don't care what Shaw said," Maddox glared. "I am telling you to leave him there."

"Look, Sir. This is Shaw's case, and he told me to-" Farrow stuttered, yet he was cut off yet again.

"I don't care whose case this is. He may be involved in as many as six murders, so if I say I want to speak to him, I _will _speak to him. Now leave him!"

Farrow pushed his shoulders back, as if trying to stand his ground, yet moved away from the door.

"You should learn to do as I say officer," Maddox dropped his voice as he walked back. "I find that things work so much smoother when you do."

Farrow continued to glare at him as Maddox pushed open the door before moving round the table to face the suspect.

"Lemming, we meet again," Maddox said, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"I've already spoken to your _colleague_," Frank said, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, now you're going to speak to me," Maddox lowered his voice. "But this time, you're going to tell me _everything _you know, even the bits that you decided to leave out the last time. Understand?"

"What is this, good cop bad cop?" Lemming laughed, yet it was strained.

"Oh," Maddox grinned, leaning on the desk and looking Lemming straight in the eyes. "You don't know the half of it."


	35. Chapter 35  Is That A Threat?

**There will be more Harry/Nikki the next chapter :) promise. But just needed a little more from Maddox first :P**

**THANK YOU to everyone still reading, and to Starr123, pinkswallowsun, EmmaJ1996, dinabar, gem.S, Thyqua, Terriah, Emilybubblestoby and freitazal - YOU ARE AMAZING! And the reason this is still going :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 35 – Is That A Threat?

Leo leant against the doorframe of his office, watching his two younger colleagues, as he so often did. There was no evidence of the tension that had been present between them earlier that day, much to Leo's relief.

"I think you should go to self defence classes or something you know," Harry announced, causing Nikki to glare at him from her desk.

"Shut up Harry," Nikki mumbled.

"No, I'm serious," Harry smiled at her, leaning over his desk. "It could come in useful. For the next time you manage to find trouble. Or trouble finds you."

"I do not '_find trouble' _as much as you think, actually," Nikki shot, and Leo could tell that Harry was treading on thin ground again.

"Actually, you do," Harry stated, turning back to his computer. "Hospital basements, held at gunpoint, twice, no, three times. At least. Distressed relatives, psychos in various situations… I think you're the most stupidly vulnerable person I have ever met."

Nikki's expression changed in an instant, and Leo knew that he had to step in before things escalated again.

"Harry, I need you to go to the station today. I've just got off the phone to Maddox, who's finished interviewing Lemming, and he wants someone down there," Leo announced loudly.

"I'd rather not," Harry mumbled, looking up at Leo and missing the daggers that Nikki shot in his direction.

"It wasn't really a question Harry," Leo raised his eyebrows, and heard Harry sigh deeply. Leo knew how much Harry disliked Maddox, but he really did have to act professionally in these situations. Maybe he could act like a child in the Lyell Centre, but he wouldn't always get away with it. "Maddox is directly involved with your case, and you were supposed to keep in touch."

"I'll go," Nikki stated simply, smiling up at Leo. "Harry has his never ending paperwork to finish, and I haven't met Maddox yet."

"You didn't want to meet him, the last I remembered," Leo frowned. "Actually, you were rather amused that it was Harry that had to put up with him and not you."

Nikki blushed, smiling at Harry, yet there was another emotion in her eyes that Leo couldn't quite place.

"Yeah, well. We all have to act mature, don't we?" Nikki asked rhetorically, as if reading Leo's mind. "I'll go. I need to talk to Shaw anyway."

Harry's head snapped up at the sound of Shaw's name, and Leo could see his eyes narrow. They always did, when he was thinking about Nikki's admirers. He'd noticed that over the years, the way his expression altered dramatically with each potential boyfriend. Detectives were the worst, closely followed by doctors or firemen, or others that seemed to Harry to be a threat to their friendship.

Leo knew why Nikki was offering to go to the station. It wasn't because she could meet Shaw, she could quite easily have called him instead. And he knew for a fact that she already detested Maddox, despite the fact that she had never had a proper conversation with him. No, Nikki was apologising, without _actually _apologising, despite the fact that Harry was treading on dangerous ground again with his last comment. That was something else that Leo had learnt over the years. When Harry and Nikki argued, Harry had to apologise first, verbally at least. Because, until Harry had actually said the word 'sorry' to Nikki, she wouldn't apologise to Harry, by making him a cup of coffee, or finishing one of his reports, or visiting the station…

"Well, as long as _someone _goes, I don't care who it is," Leo stated, turning on his heels and heading back to his office, knowing full well who it would be that went to talk to Maddox.

Harry watched Leo leave, spinning in his chair to face Nikki again, who was already throwing things into her handbag.

"Are you that fed up with me that you'd rather spend the afternoon with Maddox?" Harry laughed playfully. "Because I'll warn you now, even _I _would rather be doing paperwork that speaking to him."

"Hmm," Nikki mumbled, picking up her coat and pausing in front of Harry's desk. "You never know Harry, maybe Maddox will like me more than he likes you. Maybe _he _won't think I'm stupid or vulnerable."

"That's not what I meant!" Harry said quickly, jumping to his feet as Nikki walked towards the exit. "Nikki, you know that's not what I meant."

Nikki waved without turning round, leaving Harry standing in the middle of the office, staring at the door as it closed behind her.

* * *

Nikki entered the station reluctantly, glancing down the bustling corridors at the stream of police officers that moved from one door to the next, all with a set expression on their face as if on a mission.

"Can I help you?" came a cheery voice from reception, and Nikki could see a friendly face smiling at her over the desk.

"Yeah, please," Nikki smiled back automatically. "I'm here to see Maddox."

"Oh, no Dr Cunningham today?" the receptionist asked with a giggle.

"Not today I'm afraid," Nikki said, as the receptionist leant across the desk, holding out her hand.

"I'm Lottie," she smiled. "And Maddox should be ready in about five minutes."

Lottie scanned the diary on her desk with the end of her pen, before stopping and looking up again.

"Dr Alexander?"

"Nikki," Nikki nodded, and Lottie grinned widely again.

"He'll be in office three, just down the right corridor, if you want to go and wait for him," she smiled. "Nice to meet you Nikki."

"Likewise," Nikki smiled, shifting her bag on her shoulder and making her way down the corridor.

The office was small and simple, with a large, glossy table filling most of the room. A clean whiteboard filled one wall, which made the office feel almost claustrophobic, and the only noise was the hum from the coffee machine in the corner.

Nikki watched the clock on the wall as the minute hand ticked closer to half twelve, repeatedly glancing at the door, waiting for Maddox to enter. Just as the hand reached half past, the door to the office opened, and Maddox entered, immediately strolling to the opposite side of the desk to Nikki, and dropping a case file on the desk.

"Dr Alexander," he said shortly, without making eye contact. "I was expecting Dr Cunningham."

"Something came up and he couldn't make it out the office I'm afraid," Nikki tried to smile, yet it seemed almost impossible.

"Well, I suppose you'll do then," Maddox sighed, pulling out a sheet of paper from the file and sliding it across the table. "That's Frank Lemming. He's not the murderer."

"You know that for sure?" Nikki asked.

"Yes," he said bluntly. "Frank Lemming is many things, but a murderer is not one of them."

Nikki opened her mouth to ask another question, when there was a knock at the door, and another officer stuck his head around the door.

"I need a word," the younger officer stated, and the anger in Maddox's eyes did not go unnoticed.

"Not now."

"Yes, now," the officer glared, yet there was a shake in his voice.

Nikki watched Maddox stroll out the office, pulling the door shut behind him. Yet the sound of their voices still travelled through the door.

"What do you want Farrow?" Nikki could hear Maddox snap, and could just imagine the other officer cower slightly.

"I've had Shaw on my back the whole day about letting you in with Lemming," Farrow stuttered.

"And?"

"Well I need you to talk to him. Let him know that it was all your idea and nothing to do with me. That I didn't authorise the second interview, because-"

"The last time I looked, this was my office Farrow. So I suggest you drop it, otherwise I could make your life very difficult," Maddox interrupted.

"Is that a threat?"

"What do you think?"

There was silence, before the door suddenly flew open, and Maddox reappeared. Nikki couldn't help but watch him as he stormed through the office, snatching the file from the desk. Harry was right, Maddox was not a nice person to be around in the slightest.

"I suggest you chase up any reports from your lab, because we need to find the person responsible before they kill again," Maddox said, not looking up.

"We have all our results," Nikki stated. "We were hoping you would find out something that we didn't know already actually."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Dr Alexander, but Lemming is not our killer."

"Maybe Shaw thinks otherwise. Or were you hoping that he didn't find out you did a second interrogation?"

Maddox's head snapped up, his eyes connecting with Nikki's for the first time.

"That has nothing to do with you," he growled.

"But this case does," Nikki replied, standing up from the table in an attempt to stand her ground against Maddox. "So anything that may compromise our findings-"

"I hope your not trying to tell me how to do my job," Maddox interrupted again. "Because despite what Shaw may tell you, it is not up to him how this office is run."

"Shaw is more than capable-"

"Oh yes, I forgot," Maddox sniggered, stepping closer to Nikki. "You seem to have quite a thing for Shaw, don't you? Well, let me just warn you about Shaw. He's not who you think he is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nikki laughed, the anger starting to bubble up inside her.

"I just mean, don't get _too _close to Shaw. You might end up regretting the decision."

"You know what I think Maddox?" Nikki said as Maddox stepped even closer. "I think you're jealous. I think that you feel threatened by Shaw, because he is just as capable at running this investigation as you are."

Maddox shook his head slowly, a small smirk on his lips.

"You really haven't got a clue," he said slowly. "And if I were you, I'd keep out of this as much as possible. It is your job to investigate the bodies. It is my job to interview the suspects. I am the detective. You are the doctor. Got it?"

Nikki glared at Maddox, the anger rising.

"You are the one who asked me here to go through the evidence," Nikki pointed out.

"Actually, I asked for Dr Cunningham, remember? I was hoping that he could give us some more information from the Yates' case."

"I am just as informed as Dr Cunningham. Unlike your office, we work together. We all share the information we find, rather than working against each other," Nikki stated, beginning to feel uneasy as Maddox stepped even closer.

"If you say so," Maddox smirked again. "It still doesn't change the fact that you have no new information to give me, and I can tell you for a fact that Lemming is innocent of murder."

"Then how did his DNA get on the body?" Nikki asked, her patience faltering. She had expected to have a brief conversation with Maddox, where they each exchanged any information that may be of interest. She did not expect to feel as uncomfortable as she did now. There was something about the distance between them that unsettled her.

"Lemming paid for her," Maddox stated simply, as if it was a stupid question. "There's a transcript from the interview between Lemming and Shaw for you to take back to the Lyell."

"Shara Davis was not a prostitute. And neither were any of the other victims," Nikki said, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Not that we know of, no," Maddox shook his head slightly. "Read the transcript. It will tell you everything you need to know about Lemming."

"And what about the transcript from your interview?" Nikki asked, and Maddox stepped closer still. She could feel her hands shaking, and clenched her fingers into fists to try and hide it.

Maddox was so close that Nikki could smell a mixture of his aftershave and cigarette smoke, which caught in her throat, almost making her gag.

"You should understand now, Dr Alexander, never to question anything I do or say. If I say that Lemming knows nothing important, then that is the case. You do your job, I'll do mine. Then no one gets hurt."

"Apart from who knows how many other girls that are currently missing," Nikki stated, hearing her voice rise involuntarily. "How many are you going to let die Maddox, while you sit here thinking your superior to everyone else. Why should it be down to you who we interview, and how long we interview them for?"

"Because, as I have stated before, _I _am the detective. And if I say that Lemming should be let go-"

"You know that he must know something! You're putting innocent lives in danger."

"Read the transcript, then tell me that we could get any more information from him!" Maddox growled.

"But I won't have all the information, will I?" Nikki's hands were now clenched so tight she could feel her nails digging into her palms. "Because you don't seem to have a transcript from the second interview, do you? Were you hoping no one would notice Maddox? Or are you trying to hide something?"

Maddox grabbed Nikki's left wrist and pulled her closer, his foul breath brushing her cheek as she turned away from him.

"I would suggest you stayed on my good side doctor, but I think you may have just crossed that line," his lips were inches from her ear, his broad shoulders blocking her view.

Nikki felt her breath catch as she turned her head to look Maddox in the eyes, noticing that they were void of any emotion that she could distinguish. Maddox's lips were so close to her ear that she was sure she could feel the stubble on his chin, as his breath brushed past her nostrils. The stale smell of cigarettes smoke and coffee made her stomach churn.

Pulling away from him as far as she could, Nikki swung her free hand in his direction, and winced at the pain as her clenched fist made contact with the side of his jaw.


	36. Chapter 36  You Did What?

**This kind of just happened... again. I'm sure this would be finished by now if there wasn't so many Harry/Nikki chapters, but they just seem to write themselves. Ooops :P**

**Thank you as always to everyone reading, and a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Thyqua, freitazal, Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, Terriah, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, Starr123, dinabar, Emilybubblestoby and shiningbeacon. You are all amazingly amazing :D !**

**I'll try to update quicker :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 36 – You Did What?

Shaw arrived at the Lyell centre only minutes after Nikki had left, and Harry couldn't help but groan as he strolled through the door and straight to Leo's office. Knocking once, he pushed open the door and disappeared inside without turning to look at Harry.

"Perfect," Harry mumbled to himself, glaring at the office door. "I get out of seeing Maddox, and instead get Detective bloody Perfect."

It wasn't that Harry didn't like Shaw, it was just, well… who was he kidding. He couldn't stand Shaw! He was professional, he was likeable, he made Nikki smile… He made Nikki smile. Surely that should be enough of a reason to actually _like _the guy, and yet he couldn't bring himself to start a conversation with him.

After a few minutes, the door to Leo's office reopened, and both Leo and Shaw appeared, each wearing a concerned expression.

"Harry, Shaw's come to fill us in on what he found during the interview with Lemming. Conference room please, whatever you're doing can wait," Leo raised his eyes knowingly, as Harry closed the card game on his computer.

"No Nikki today?" Shaw asked casually once Leo had entered the conference room.

"Nope, she's at the station actually, we didn't expect you here," Harry couldn't help but smirk to himself. "She went to see Maddox."

"Maddox?" Shaw asked suddenly, stopping in his tracks.

"Yes, Maddox. He wanted someone at the station and Nikki offered to go. Is that a problem?"

"Why would it be a problem?" Shaw smiled, yet Harry could see it catch in his eyes.

"Nikki is more than capable of standing her ground against Maddox, believe me," Harry stated with a smile that even he knew was far from genuine. "I'm sure she'll call you later if she needs anything."

"Oh, it's alright," Shaw smirked. "I can catch up with her tonight at the pub."

Shaw walked through the door to the conference room, leaving Harry alone, glaring after him. Harry knew that whatever Nikki got up to in her own time had nothing to do with him, and yet the thought of her spending an evening with Shaw, of enjoying herself and laughing without him, of taking him back to her apartment afterwards… it caused so many emotions to swirl around in his stomach, and yet he couldn't quite place what half of them were.

* * *

The meeting had dragged on, despite the fact that they were only together for about half an hour. Harry had watched Shaw pace the room, going over the details that had been brought to light in his interview with Lemming, whilst Leo nodded, scribbling down notes as he did so.

"At least we know why the girls were taken now," Leo said eventually, waking Harry from his day dream. "Well, it gives us some idea anyway. There is no way that any of the victims were prostitutes, so they wouldn't have willingly agreed to what went on. They _were _raped, yet the rapists weren't aware of what they were actually doing. They believed that they had consent from the victim. It was all set up for them."

"But Shara Davis got away," Harry interjected, and Leo nodded in response. "She ran. The murderer followed. He killed her, but it was unplanned. He forgot to clean her fingernails, and the DNA was still present from the 'rapist,' unlike with the other girls. Frank Lemming was a client, but I don't think he was aware of what was going on."

"He could be our link between these cases though," Leo added. "He's given us the information concerning the playing card killings, and now all we need to do is find out how everything fits together with the Yates' case."

Harry felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket again. It had gone off ten minutes before, but he knew that he couldn't have answered it without getting a disapproving look from Leo, and he really was partial to a quiet life, so had ignored it, thankful that he had remembered to put the settings to silent.

"I better be getting back to the station," Shaw announced, picking up the files that scattered the desk. "I'll let you know if we get any more leads, but until then-"

Shaw nodded at Harry, before leaving the conference room, Leo following right behind him.

Harry sighed, sliding his arms across the table and leaning his head on top, feeling his eyes drift closed. He felt as if he could sleep for a week, and yet when he thought about waking up again, it wasn't Julia that he pictured lying next to him. Shaking the images from his head, he fumbled around for his mobile in his pocket, leaning his head to the side on his right arm that was still on the table.

Unlocking his mobile, the '3 missed calls' flashed across his screen, and he was not surprised at who they were from.

"Ha, I knew you would hate him too," Harry laughed to himself, hitting the button to listen to his voicemail.

"Harry, it's me. Can you pick me up from the police station as soon as you get this? I'll explain later."

Harry replayed the message before staring at his mobile, as if it would answer all the questions that were now running through his head. It was a short message, and yet he could hear the shake in her voice that she had obviously been trying to hide. And she had driven to the police station, so why would she need picked up? Shrugging, Harry dropped his mobile back into his pocket, forcing himself to sit up again. If Nikki was phoning to be picked up, that meant that she forgave him, surely.

* * *

Harry pulled into the police station car park, checking his mobile again as he stepped out the car to make sure that he hadn't missed another call. Flicking through his messages, his head down against the rain, Harry startled as he almost walked into someone making his way down the stairs as Harry was about to walk up them.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, looking up from his phone, surprised to see Maddox glaring down at him, the left side of his jaw slightly swollen, a large purple bruise starting to form on his cheek. It looked a new injury, and by the expression on Maddox's face, he could tell that he was having a bad day. Harry smiled to himself slightly at the idea of Nikki having to put up with a pissed off Maddox, after her amusement at Harry having to do so in the past.

Harry dashed past Maddox who had just pulled out a cigarette packet, not wanting to stop for a conversation if he was in such a bad mood, and into the dark, noisy police station.

"Dr Harry!" Lottie waved from reception as soon as he entered. "Are you looking for your friend?"

"Yeah, is Nikki around?" Harry smiled. "I got a strange message asking me to pick her up."

"Oh," Lottie said, biting her lip. "Yes, well, I think her meeting with Maddox has finished. The last time I saw her, she was in the bathroom. Do you want me to see if she's still there? She looked a little upset."

"No, you're alright thanks," Harry answered, already walking backwards in the direction of the bathrooms. "I'll give her a ring, I'm sure I'll find her. She's probably just sorting her make up for the millionth time."

Lottie waved as Harry spun round, quickly finding himself outside the ladies toilets. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure why he hadn't taken up Lottie's offer. He couldn't exactly just walk in, not in a police station. But Lottie had said Nikki looked upset, and Harry knew that she hated sympathy.

Harry waited a few minutes, and once he was sure that anyone who was inside had had enough time to leave, he phoned Nikki. She answered on the third ring, like she normally did. Even if her mobile was in her hand when Harry rang, it was always the third ring.

"You took your bloody time," she sniffed, and Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Niks, I was in a meeting. You know what Leo's like. Any excuse to treat me like a child-"

"You are a child Harry," Nikki interrupted.

"Shut up. Why did you want picked up anyway? Your car is just as good as mine. Well, its not, but it still works, doesn't it?"

"There's nothing wrong with my car," Nikki said, her voice still shaking slightly. "Can't I just explain later?"

"Where are you?" Harry asked, ignoring her question and knowing exactly where she was.

"I- I'm-" Nikki started, yet the rest of her sentence was lost through her tears, her breath catching as she sobbed.

Pushing open the door after a quick glance around, Harry entered the bathroom to find Nikki sitting against the far wall, her knees tucked up and her arms hugging them tightly.

Sliding down next to her he threw an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close to his chest as she cried.

Once her breathing began to steady, Harry gently took her hand in his to pull her to her feet, surprised when she gasped and pulled away from him.

"Nikki," he said softly. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Nikki shook her head, leaning against his shoulder.

Taking her hand in his again, he slowly brought it up to eye level, and could see her swollen knuckles which were already beginning to bruise.

"Nikki, what-"

"I'm not vulnerable Harry," Nikki stammered, yet her eyes were set in determination. "I'm not stupidly vulnerable."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Harry said quickly, running his thumb over her knuckles. "I didn't mean it like that, I swear."

There was silence between them, Harry continuing to run his thumb over her hand until she seemed to have calmed down.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened before I get locked up for being in the ladies bathroom?" Harry asked gently, noticing the small smile play on Nikki's lips. Yet it quickly disappeared.

"I punched him," Nikki sighed, mater-of-factly.

"Who?"

"Maddox."

"What about Maddox?"

"I punched Maddox!" Nikki almost shouted, spinning around to face Harry.

"Why?" Harry stuttered, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Because of the things he was saying Harry," she cried, her eyes wide. "He was being really- I don't know! I just didn't trust him. I felt like he was threatening me. And he wouldn't let go, or get out my face and-"

"Ok, ok," Harry said quickly, taking Nikki by the shoulders and noticing the marks on her other wrist. "I believe you. I don't doubt he was being an arse, I've had to put up with him acting like this before."

"It wasn't just like that though," Nikki shook her head. "We've both had to deal with idiot detectives before, but I've never actually hit one before! He was scaring me Harry. He wouldn't let go."

Harry lifted her right hand, kissing her knuckles gently, and sighing slightly at the smile that appeared on her lips.

"How about I deal with Maddox from now on?" Harry suggested. "To be fair, it was supposed to be me anyway, wasn't it? I won't let him scare you again, ok?"

"Ok," Nikki nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I feel so stupid."

"You're not. You're not stupid, and you're not vulnerable. I'm sorry," Harry smiled, standing up and pulling Nikki to her feet, immediately wrapping her in a tight hug.

"You're lucky I wasn't there, or I would've punched the other side of his face so hard he'd be seeing stars for a week," Harry laughed, knowing that if he _had _been there, there was no way that Maddox would have been able to get close enough to lay a finger on Nikki.

"I think I'm just lucky I wasn't stuck in a cell for insulting a police officer to be honest," Nikki said quietly against his chest.

Harry leant back, lifting her chin with his finger.

"He had nothing to hold you for," he said seriously. "You still have the marks on your wrist where he grabbed you."

Nikki looked down at her wrist, as if noticing for the first time.

"Yeah, and on my knuckles where I punched him."

"True," Harry smiled. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Harry pulled her towards the door and left the bathroom, just as a uniformed officer was about to enter, shooting them a disapproving look.

Catching Lottie's eye on the way out, Harry winked, raising his hand in a farewell, Lottie waving back in return, a wide smile on her lips. Stepping out of the station into the cold winter afternoon, Nikki froze, gripping Harry's hand as she did so. Maddox stood at the bottom of the stairs, sheltered by the side of the building, the cigarette smoke swirling around him in the breeze.

Pulling her quickly down the stairs, Harry tried to ignore him, yet Maddox had obviously noticed them.

"I could press charges you know," Harry heard Maddox growl as they passed, and could feel Nikki stop in her tracks, her hand tightening around Harry's.

Harry felt the anger that had been building up almost explode at his words, and let Nikki go, striding over to face Maddox.

"I don't think it's you who should be pressing charges Maddox," Harry tried to push his shoulders back in an attempt to look taller, yet Maddox was still towering over him. "Don't you ever, _ever, _go anywhere near her again. If you have any information about the case, then you speak to me. Otherwise, stay away from the Lyell centre, and away from us."

Maddox looked furious as he blew the smoke in Harry's direction, before stubbing out his cigarette on the wall and walking back into the office, glaring at Nikki as he did so.

"Can we go now?" Nikki asked, her hands shaking and the tears falling silently down her cheeks.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "As long as you let Dr Cunningham have a look at your hand when we get back."

Nikki laughed weakly, stepping in closer to him as they made their way back to his car through the rain.

"Harry," she whispered, barely audible through the sound of the wind.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For being there. Again."

"Hey, that's my job," Harry smiled. "You know I'll always be there for you. I wouldn't be much of a best friend if I wasn't, would I? But we really should be getting back; I told Leo I was only going out for a coffee. I better stop and get him one on the way back as a peace offering, what do you think?"

Nikki nodded, the smile returning to her lips as he quickened his step, the rain now starting to drip off the end of his nose.


	37. Chapter 37  Medical Box

**Hmmm... my updating sooner thing didn't really work, did it? I'm sorry! Been trying to get everything sorted for a Summer placement I start next week, then went to see Harry Potter on Friday (which is A-MAZ-ING and really doesn't help my obsession), then went camping yesterday, and was my mum's birthday today (Thank you Flossie for her 'happy birthday' - I forgot to say in my review :D)...**

**I'll stop my excuses now :p Thank you to everyone patient enough to still read and especially review. Pinkswallowsun, Ann1119, gem.S, EmmaJ1996, Starr123, Thyqua, dinabar, freitazal and wow - you make my day :D**

**There's only a couple more chapters and then the big thing that I've had planned for this will happen. Hopefully :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 37 – Medical Box

"Ten minutes Harry," Leo shouted from his office as Nikki and Harry entered through the security doors. "I specifically remember you telling me you were going out for ten minutes. Since when does ten minutes turn into two hours?"

Harry entered the office, handing over a steaming cup of coffee in a take-away container.

"Later," Harry said, glancing towards the doorway where Nikki was shrugging off her coat. "Is the medical kit still in the locker room?"

"Yeah," Leo nodded, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Is everything ok?"

"It will be," Harry said, turning back to leave the office.

"Harry. Later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded slowly, giving Leo a reassuring smile. He knew that he would need to explain everything to Leo, otherwise he'd just worry. He was like the dad that both Harry and Nikki needed, there to keep them on track despite the fact that they were both supposed to be old enough to look after themselves.

Taking Nikki gently by the elbow, Harry led her in the direction of the locker room, silently opening the door and guiding her to the bench, before retrieving the medical box that was secured to the wall.

"Sit," Harry announced, glancing from Nikki to the bench.

Nikki hesitated briefly, before sighing and doing as she was instructed, if only for a second.

"I have work to do Harry," she was back on her feet and heading to the door, yet Harry caught her by the elbow again, stopping her in her tracks.

"Sit. Calm down. Let me have a look at your hand, and then you can go back to work. And I won't ask you if you're alright for the rest of the day. Deal?"

"Fine," Nikki muttered, sitting down again and tucking her feet up on the bench.

They sat in silence, Harry applying a small layer of cream along the graze on Nikki's knuckles, muttering his apologies as she flinched away at the contact on her split skin.

"I spoke to Julia again," Harry said quietly, breaking the silence. "Asked her about her sister. She still believes that Ray had something to do with her death."

"Before he stabbed himself in the back," Nikki almost laughed.

"I know, I know," Harry sighed. "I agree with all of that. But then I had a look at the DNA samples. The ones from under the finger nails."

"Hmmm."

"Julia has nothing to do with it Nikki. The samples were completely different to Jennifer's. If the DNA was Julia's, then there would have been similarities between them. They were sisters," Harry spoke quickly, as if he wanted to explain everything before Nikki interrupted.

"Harry," Nikki said, eyes wide. "I never meant that I thought Julia actually _murdered _Jennifer and Ray. I just thought that she might have known something that we didn't."

"I just wanted to prove that Julia wasn't involved, that's all," Harry smiled weakly. "I trust her."

"But you still checked," Nikki stated, her eyes locking on Harry's.

"That's because I trust you more," Harry sighed, lifting her hand up to his eye level. "Well, I don't think you've broken anything."

"I could have told you that."

"Smart arse."

Nikki flexed her fingers, narrowing her eyebrows as the pain shot through her knuckles.

"I asked her a few other questions too," Harry admitted. "You were right, I didn't really know her. She's a vet, part time. That's why she has to leave in a hurry sometimes, she's on call. Kind of an emergency doctor when they're short staffed."

"So you used all your 'I'm a doctor' chat up lines on her then," Nikki smiled. "And all this time she was a doctor too. Not very impressive on your part Harry."

"Hey, at least my 'patient' are human."

"At least Julia's are alive."

"You may have a point there," Harry chuckled.

The silence settled between them again as Harry packed up the medical kit, securing it back onto the wall. Nikki seemed to be staring into space, lost in her thoughts as she picked at her fingernails. Harry sat back down beside her, pulling her in close and hearing her sigh slightly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked simply, watching her closely.

Nikki shook her head, her attention still on her fingernails.

"I know you better than that," Harry laughed. "You know I do. Come on, spill. It can't be that bad."

"It's nothing," Nikki shook her head again. "It's just- well- Shaw."

"Shaw!" Harry scoffed, louder than he was expecting. "What's _he _done? Wasn't it Maddox you punched? I thought it was _him _that had upset you."

"Shaw's done nothing wrong," Nikki said quickly. "Honestly Harry, will you stop thinking badly of him. It's- he- he asked me out for a drink tonight."

"Oh," Harry said. "I know. He mentioned earlier."

"That was before I punched his boss thought, wasn't it?"

"And you think that he's going to change his mind?" Harry laughed, realising her worries. "Personally, I think that everyone at the station will love you Nikki. Well, more than they do already. It was only a matter of time before _someone _punched him. Now, are you going to some work today before your date, or are you going to sit and mope."

"It's not a date."

"Whatever. Come on, or Leo will start looking for us."

Harry held out his hand to Nikki, who took it as he pulled her from the bench, noticing the fact that she squeezed it a little tighter than necessary.

* * *

"We have a problem," the officer stated, cautiously entering Maddox's office.

"Then fix it."

"It's not that easy I'm afraid," the officer stuttered. "It's Farrow. I think you need to sort this out personally."

Sighing loudly, Maddox pushed himself from his desk and threw the door open wider. Farrow was standing at the filing cabinet in the corner of the communal office, throwing files and papers in every direction, only stopping to scan a document before it was launched across the office after the others.

"Farrow!" Maddox barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Looking for every file on the case," Farrow answered matter-of-factly. "Every one."

"You have all the information that we know, there's nothing else."

"There has to be!" Farrow shouted, spinning around to face Maddox. "There _has _to be something else that we've missed. We _need _to find who's responsible before it's too late!"

"Too late?" Maddox narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean too late?"

"I mean before she's murdered! Before I lose her," Farrow was now shaking, his hands clenched and his eyes watering, the tears threatening to spill over. "Before they take away my little girl forever."

Farrow seemed to completely break down, falling to his knees, his head in his hands.

"She's missing," he whispered. "My daughter, Jessica. She didn't come home last night, her phone's off, no one has seen her…"

"Are you sure she's not just at a boyfriend's-"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend! She's only seventeen. Seventeen! And they're going to make her- and the guy will think that she wants to- and then they'll- they'll…"

The rest of his sentence was lost in the sobs that caught his breath, the tears now running freely down his cheeks. Maddox stepped towards Farrow, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him to his feet.

"Pull yourself together Farrow. You are no use to your daughter when you're like this. Why are you so sure that she's been taken?"

"Because she's slim, and blonde, and we've heard nothing from her, nothing at all. She's just like the other girls that have disappeared. That have been murdered!" Farrow seemed to have regained some of him composure, her breathing having steadied.

"We're doing everything we can to find who's responsible," Maddox stated, turning away from Farrow and back towards his office. "Clean up the files and go home. You're no good to us if your mind is elsewhere."

"You know something Maddox!" Farrow shouted across the office. "I know that you know something, and you're keeping it from us. You spoke to him, the suspect, and you won't tell anyone what he said. You're going to let her die!"

Slamming the door shut, drowning out the sound of Farrow's protesting, Maddox glanced at the clock. One minute to four. Just in time. He could see Shaw leaning on the edge of the desk through the glass in his office, as if trying to calm Farrow down. There was no surprise there. Shaw always did like to be seen as 'good cop' after all.

Taking out his mobile, he hit speed dial just as the second hand ticked to four o'clock.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Shaw panted as he ran into the Lyell Centre, noticing Nikki sitting at her desk in the lamp light, her blonde curls pinned back neatly. "There was a problem at the office. Another possible victim I'm afraid. Well, a disappearance. But everything fits in with descriptions of the other victims."

"No problem," Nikki smiled. "I know what it's like. That's not good news thought. The family must be terrified."

"They are," Shaw nodded. "It's an officer's daughter that's missing. Things have been a little tense at the office as you can imagine."

Nikki nodded slowly, pulling together all the scattered notes that lined her desk.

"Well Leo and Harry went home about an hour ago so there's nothing to finish up here. You still up for a drink?"

"To be honest, my head's all over the place today. You got coffee?"

"Sure," Nikki nodded, smiling slightly. "No problem."

After almost an hour, Nikki and Shaw had gone through every scrap of evidence, two mugs of coffee each, and had eventually decided that there was no reason for them to be there any more.

Shaw had offered to take Nikki home as her car was still parked at the station, and so they were now both sitting outside Nikki's apartment block, the engine of Shaw's car humming in the darkness.

"See you around then," Shaw smiled as Nikki put her hand on the door. "It was nice seeing you again, even if things didn't really go to plan."

"It was," Nikki agreed. "Pub next time, yeah?"

"Yeah," Shaw nodded. "If you haven't punched me by then."

"You heard about that," Nikki muttered, glancing at her knuckles.

"Everyone has," Shaw laughed. "It was brilliant, Maddox is a prat! He must have asked for it."

Nikki blushed, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"Oh he did," Nikki giggled. "Well, I better go. Early start in the morning."

"Unless you want another coffee?" Shaw asked, a slight grin on his lips.

"Not tonight," Nikki smiled. "Like I said, early start. Maybe another time."

"Sure," Shaw nodded, leaning over towards Nikki and softly kissing her on the cheek.

Nikki could feel the stubble of his chin as she closed her eyes, yet even with her eyes closed, she could find every microscopic difference between Shaw and Harry. And there was no question as to whose lips she'd rather have on her skin.

"Night," Nikki blushed again, quickly opening her door against the wind.

"Hang on," Shaw added. "You'll need a lift to get your car tomorrow, won't you? Which apartments yours? I can pick you up."

"Up the right hand set of stairs, first door you come to on the second floor," Nikki explained. "It's fine though, I'll get Harry to pick me up. See you soon."

"Night," Nikki head Shaw call as she closed the door, before running up the steps and keying in the password to her apartment block.

By the time she had stepped through the door and turned around to wave to Shaw, he had gone.


	38. Chapter 38  Be Nice

**I've been trying to write this for days, but couldn't get it how I wanted it, and ended up having to end it before it got too long :P**

**And then managed to do something to my wrist at kick boxing so only been able to write a little bit each day before it hurts again... ooops. Not good when I have to start my Summer placement tomorrow (eeeek!)**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone reading, and to Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, Thyqua, dinabar, pinkswallowsun, Emilybubblestoby and Starr123, you are brilliant, you really are :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 38 – Be Nice

Stepping out her front door, tightening her scarf in preparation for the cold winter wind, Nikki pulled out her mobile and speed dialled Harry's number. He answered it almost immediately.

"You are so impatient, I'm on my way!"

"I was just making sure you hadn't forgotten. I hate not having my car. I hope you're on your hands free by the way."

"Of course I am," Harry laughed. "I can remember the last time I didn't. I don't think I could handle another lecture from you."

"That's because you can't multi-task at the best of times Harry, so when you're supposed to be concentrating on the road-" Nikki trailed off.

"Yeah yeah, you can shut up now. I'm nearly there anyway, just around the corner. Make sure you're ready this time. It's a nightmare trying to stop outside your apartment at rush hour."

Nikki laughed, pulling open the door and stepping out into the bitter cold wind.

"I'm outside right now waiting for you. See you soon."

Hanging up, Nikki dropped her mobile into her bag and wrapped her arms tight across her body to try and keep warm. The day was miserable, yet again, the sky heavy with rainclouds, and the cold wind battling against the tall trees. The traffic moved steadily past her apartment block, every car with its wipers on to clear their windscreen. All that was, but one.

At this time in the morning, the streets were nearly clear of parked cars on both sides, everyone having left on their journey to work. But this morning, there was a sporty silver-grey car on the opposite side directly across from Nikki's apartment, with it's wipers off, and completely stationary. Usually, this wouldn't have affected Nikki, as she would have walked right past the car and to the car park without giving it a second thought. But today, standing under the shelter waiting for Harry, she had the sudden uneasy feeling that she was being watched.

"Nikki!"

Nikki blinked, narrowing her eyes to try and make out the figure in the car across the road. He was male, that much was obvious from the size of him, with his thick set shoulders that seemed to fill most of the front of the car. But apart from that, she couldn't make anything else out…

"Nikki, hurry up! I didn't ask you to wait just so you could stand around and admire the scenery. Get in the car," Harry's voice seemed to shake Nikki out her trance as she turned and smiled at him, before running through the rain and opening the passenger door.

"What were you staring at?" he asked with a laugh as Nikki put her seatbelt on.

"I don't know really," Nikki answered. "That car across the road. It just seemed strange. Like- oh I'm being stupid. Thanks for picking me up by the way."

"No problem," Harry grinned. "I've- well, I've kind of invited Julia in this morning to go over a couple of things. If that's all right?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Nikki smiled, a strange feeling flittering in her stomach. "I'll be nice, promise. I've told you, I like Julia. It's you that seems to think I have a problem with her."

"Not at all."

"Good."

They settled into a comfortable silence until they reached the police station, where Harry pulled over outside the car park and glanced in Nikki's direction.

"Now Nikki, I'm trusting you to walk the few hundred yards to the car park _without _punching any officers, ok?" Harry teased. "Do you think you can manage that?"

"Shut up Harry," Nikki laughed. "I don't really make a habit out of it you know?"

"Yeah yeah, if you say so. I'll see you at the Lyell. Any longer than ten minutes and I'm coming to look for you," Harry said as Nikki rolled her eyes. "See you soon."

Nikki stepped out the car, pulling her scarf tighter and making her way through the rain towards the car park. Her car was just where she left it, and searching through her bag for her keys, her attention was caught by a car that had just pulled into a space a few meters away.

It was silver-grey, sporty, and even close up Nikki could tell it was the same car that had been parked across the road from her apartment. Feeling the breath catch in her chest, Nikki leant against her car as the other car's door opened, and the large figure stepped out.

DCI Maddox slammed the door shut and made his way towards the station, walking right past Nikki and shooting her a glare as he did so. Nikki wanted to move, wanted to stop him in his tracks and question him, and yet she didn't trust herself. She couldn't help the feeling of insecurity as Maddox walked past, and she found herself glancing across the car park, looking to see if Harry was still there. But he wasn't.

Finally pulling herself together, Nikki opened her car and stepped in, trying to steady her shaking hands before she started the ignition and made her way to work.

* * *

"Ah ha," Harry smiled as Nikki made her way trough the front door. "Good, I don't need to send out the search party."

"Very funny," Nikki answered, clearly not amused.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

Harry sighed, shaking his head. When was she going to learn that he always, always knew when there was something bothering her, whether she admitted it or not? He would get it out of her later, he decided. Right now, he had to do some work, or Leo would be on his case again.

"Julia will be here in a few minutes. She managed to finish early at work, and has nothing else scheduled until later on," Harry stated, trying to gage Nikki's reaction as she threw her damp coat over the back of her chair.

"Great," she answered shortly, without looking up.

Harry rolled his eyes to himself, turning his attention back to his computer screen and trying to ignore Nikki who was obviously not herself. She had seemed fine when he had picked her up, if a little distracted. But it didn't seem anything to worry about. The more he thought about it though, he had been worrying about Nikki a lot recently. In the last year even. Before Hungary there was the case with the young girl. The one that had pushed Nikki to the edge, and left her clinging on. And it felt as if he had never quite been able to pull her away from the edge since. He just hoped that he could keep hold of her and stop her from falling completely, without her knowing how tightly he was really clinging on.

Nikki was a brilliant pathologist. The best he had ever known in fact, even though he would keep that fact from Leo. But it was her passion, and determination that left her spending hours, days even, enveloped in a case. He had entered the office on so many occasions to find Nikki asleep at her desk, or his, after spending the night there, a perfectly reconstructed face ready for identification.

The buzz at the door made both Harry and Nikki look up, and Harry pushed himself away from his desk.

"Be nice," Harry teased as he passed Nikki.

"I will," Nikki managed to smile. "I know how much you like her."

"Yeah, well, I've liked you longer," Harry grinned, placing a small kiss on the top of Nikki's head and pausing momentarily to look her in the eyes. "And I like you more. But keep that bit to yourself."

Harry heard Nikki giggle as he opened the door, greeted by a smiling Julia who wrapped her arms around his neck and kissing his lips before he had the chance to think otherwise.

* * *

Nikki sat at her desk, trying not to look in Harry's direction. She was happy for him. She had been telling herself for weeks now, she really was happy for him. But that didn't mean that she could stop it hurting, every time she saw Julia kiss him. Every time Julia reached over and moved his hair, or held his hand, or moved closer to his body. And the worst thing was, she didn't know why it hurt at all. They were just friends, best friends yes, but that was it. She knew that Harry had kissed her head, he often did. Yet it wasn't the same as the way he kissed Julia, and it never would be.

For the last ten minutes Nikki had been trying to stay part of the conversation and not drift off into her own thoughts, but to be completely honest, she had no idea what Harry and Julia were talking about.

"Nikki, what do you think?"

"Hmm?" Nikki barely registered that Harry had spoken, but could see him watching her for an answer.

"I knew you weren't listening. You're in a world of your own today," Harry chuckled.

"Sorry," Nikki mumbled, smiling in return. "Miles away. What were you saying?"

"Drinks," Julia said animatedly. "We should all go out some time. You know, me and Harry, Leo and Janet, you and- well, you can bring whoever you want with you."

"Yeah," Nikki rolled her eyes, looking away from Julia again and back to her computer screen, spotting the awkward look in Harry's eyes.

"Harry, can I see you in my office please?" Leo's voice sounded from behind Nikki. "I just need to clarify a few things on your last report."

"Seeing as you asked so nice," Harry smirked, smiling at both Nikki and Julia, before giving Leo a mock salute and following him into his office, Leo closing the door behind him.

Nikki looked up and smiled weakly at Julia, not exactly feeling comfortable at being left alone with her. Harry had told her about Julia, but from what he had mentioned, there was nothing in common between them. Apart from the fact that they both had 'feelings' for Harry…

"He was probably distracted by the thought of the pub to write it up properly," Nikki joked, knowing that Harry would have written his report thoroughly, and Leo often checked some details from both their cases, just to ensure that he was fully informed on the case. It made it easier for Leo, if the case went to court.

Julia grinned, fidgeting slightly in her chair.

"It's so good to finally meet you properly," she smiled, yet Nikki could tell it was far from genuine. "Harry has told me so much about you."

"Really?" Nikki asked.

"Of course. He's always talking about you, and I kept telling him, 'Harry, I need to meet Nikki', and he kept saying that you had too many drunken stories about him," Julia was moving her hands around as she spoke, and Nikki just sat and listened to her talk, not wanting to interrupt her. If Julia was talking, that meant that she didn't need to. Which meant that there was less chance of her saying something she'd regret later. She had told Harry she'd be nice after all.

Julia eventually fell silent, looking at Nikki expectantly.

"So, does Harry talk a lot about work?" Nikki questioned. She really hadn't a clue how to keep the conversation going, and found herself glancing at Leo's door, hoping to see Harry walking back out. But he didn't.

"Not really. But some nights we don't really talk at all, if you get what I mean?" Julia giggled, and Nikki forced a weak smile. "I think he wants a break from work when he gets home. He doesn't usually mention work, just you and Leo. Mainly you."

Nikki was sure she could hear a hint of resentment in Julia's voice, despite the smile on her lips.

"We've known each other years," Nikki smiled, genuinely this time. "He's probably just complaining about how annoying I've been all day."

"Of course not. I mean, I know you two can have your- disagreements- but he usually just talks about old cases. Like he's reminiscing or something. So I suppose it's not _really _about work, and more like a story of your pub crawls," Julia giggled again.

"Yeah, there's been a few of those," Nikki agreed, an unusual sensation in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Julia knowing about their nights out. They had had so many of them, just the three of them, and it was like an unwritten rule that no matter who they were going out with at the time, the invitation did not extend any further than the three pathologists. It was their way of relaxing after a long, hard day at work, and it was only the three of them that truly understood what they had had to put up with.

Apart from Janet, of course. She was different. Leo and Janet had been together for a few years now, much longer than Harry or Nikki had ever been with anyone, so when Leo invited Janet on one of their nights out, they didn't think twice about it. She was part of their little make-shift 'family' after all, and usually had a fair idea of the case in question.

"I know how much you've all been working on my sister's case," Julia said quietly, looking Nikki in the eyes properly for the first time. "All I want to do is bury her and put her to rest, but I know you have to do more tests. Have to make sure that you get all the evidence you need."

"Yeah," Nikki nodded. "Harry's been working all hours on the case. We'll find out who did it, don't worry. It's just taking a little longer than we hoped. We've recently got a lead with another case, and we think it might help with your sister's."

"You mean the playing card case. The one where all the young women have gone missing?"

"Yeah," Nikki nodded. "How do you know about that one?"

"It's in the papers," Julia answered, narrowing her eyes. "It has been for weeks. After all the disappearances, and then the bodies that were found."

"But there was never anything mentioned about playing cards," Nikki said quietly. "Never. We made sure that the media didn't know about it."

"Harry must have mentioned it then," Julia tilted her head to the side. "Like I said, he does talk about work a little, but we usually find a different topic to discuss."

Nikki opened her mouth, yet was lost for words. Harry knew how important it was to keep evidence confidential. It only took one person to overhear, the media would find out, and sooner or later the evidence is plastered all over the local newspaper.

Just as Nikki managed to find her voice, the door to Leo's office opened and Harry reappeared.

"I hope you two are behaving," Harry smirked, his eyes lingering on Nikki before he walked towards Julia and addressing her personally. "I thought we could go get some breakfast before you need to go back to work, what do you say?"

"Sure," Julia beamed, standing up and linking her arm with Harry's. "If it's ok with Leo?"

"It is," Harry nodded.

"Yeah, because you told me that you'd start half an hour early tomorrow," Leo said, leaning against the doorframe to his office. "I _am _going to hold you to that you know?"

"I know, I know," Harry smiled. "I won't have anyone to pick up tomorrow, so I'll be here on time."

Harry shot Nikki a knowing look, a small glint in his eye and a grin on his lips that always caught Nikki's attention.

"An hour Harry," Leo shouted as Harry and Julia made their way from the office, before turning to face Nikki. "How do I _know _that he'll be late?"

"Because it's Harry," Nikki smiled, looking up at Leo.

"You alright?" Leo asked, narrowing his eyes. Sometimes, Leo was so like Harry it was unbelievable. Only Harry and Leo were able to completely read how she was feeling, no matter how hard she tried to hide everything.

"I don't know," Nikki shook her head. "My head is all over the place lately, and I don't know what to think any more. Harry is a brilliant pathologist, I know he is. And he told me, he had the evidence, that Julia isn't involved, but then how did she know?"

"Nikki, you've lost me," Leo laughed, sitting down at Harry's desk opposite her. "What are you talking about?"

"I think- I think Harry has told Julia about the case. About the playing cards," Nikki sighed, leaning her head in her hands. She felt the guilt leaning on her shoulders, as if she was betraying Harry by talking about him to Leo. "Julia mentioned the playing cards, and I know for a fact that there is no information about them in the news. Shaw made sure of it. And she said that Harry did talk about work, which we all do. But this is an ongoing investigation, and it was supposed to be confidential. Can you imagine what would happen if the information got to the press?"

"I'll talk to him," Leo said, leaning back in the chair. "You know what Harry's like. He's probably said something without even realising it. Or after having a little too much to drink."

"He's going to think I've gone behind his back," Nikki added, not lifting her head.

"I won't mention that you said anything. I'll say that I overheard Julia mention something, ok?" Leo said reassuringly, leaning over the table to touch Nikki's arm. "Nikki, you did the right thing telling me. This case, well, both of these cases, they're a mess. The last thing we need is the media finding out about the only solid bit of evidence we have. Now come on, you have at least two hours before Harry saunters back into the office. I suggest you make the most of the peace and quiet to get some work done."

Nikki lifted her head and gave Leo a warm smile.

"Thanks Leo," she managed to whisper as Leo stood and made his way back to the office.

He was right, of course. Harry had probably blurted out something after a few glasses of wine and had completely forgotten he had ever mentioned it. He was professional, and he knew the importance of keeping the evidence private, from everyone. No matter how close you became to someone, there were just some things that had to stay at work.

She just hoped that Harry would see it from her point of view. Because she knew that he wouldn't believe Leo when he told him that she wasn't involved. He would know, he always did.

Breathing in deeply, Nikki stood up and grabbed the file that sat on top of her tray. She had to do something before Harry got back, and yet there was still so little evidence to go on, other than the DNA found on the newest victim, and the results back from the pollen that she had found on the victim's clothing.

Pulling out every book from the shelf that she could find on plants, as well as her laptop, Nikki made her way to the conference room, knowing that it was empty and she could therefore spend as much time as possible going through the books until she found the information she needed.

She might not have a lot of information to go on, but Nikki promised herself that by the end of the day, she would have something new to tell Shaw.

She promised herself that she would find some evidence to catch the twisted killer before he could murder Jessica Farrow or any other innocent woman.


	39. Chapter 39  The Mistake

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Work is blurgh (yes, that's the scientific term for it :P) and I've been trying to write this all week. The second half I've had for a while and I HATED writing it, but it means that this is finally starting to go somewhere :) But please let me know if you hate it.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who continues to stick by this. I promise to try and update as soon as I can, just not easy when I'm working 44 days in a row :( 9 down, 35 to go :P Not much fun really...**

**And a special thank you to Terriah, Emilybubblestoby, Thyqua, pinkswallowsun, Starr123, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, dinabar and Ann1119. You are A-MAZ-ING! You really are. And Emilybubblestoby - hopefully this will tie into the first chapter a little more :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 39 – The mistake

"We have a problem," she stuttered.

"I've heard that before," the male answered. "You know I don't like 'problems.' They cause too much work. If she won't work, then we need to get rid of her."

"No no, it's not the blondes. This time it's bad. _She_ knows too much."

"Then you know what to do, don't you?" he said simply, sounding completely uninterested in the conversation.

"It's not that easy," she exclaimed, losing all composure from her voice.

"Yes it is. It's no different to what we've done already."

"But- but it is!" she stuttered again. "How are we going to- it just won't work!"

"It will. Tonight, seven o'clock. You know what to do. Don't be late."

"But-" she cried, her hands shaking uncontrollably, and the line went dead before she could finish her sentence.

* * *

Nikki hit the button to silence her alarm after the first ring reverberated through her bedroom.

She hadn't slept all night, her mind in overdrive and her body resisting sleep completely. Everything seemed to ache from exhaustion, and just the thought of getting out of bed for another day made her stomach churn.

By the time she had fallen into bed at around three in the morning, still in her work clothes and with her make-up on, she had wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and forget everything. To sleep for a week in an almost unconscious state, where dreams and nightmares were impossible.

The previous day had started off bad and only got worse. Much, much worse. By the end of the day, the conversation with Julia and the incident with Maddox in the car park were the least of her worries. Everything had changed again, with the appearance of a single envelope, and a small playing card.

'Miss Constable. The Policeman's Daughter.'

It was what everyone had been dreading, and yet it was still different from the others. The card inside was the same as the previous ones, the grotesque image just visible beneath the blood and the envelope unstamped. But there was one thing missing. A body.

The news of the envelope came not long after Harry had returned from lunch with Julia. Leo had been right of course. Harry had been out for close to two hours, and the grin on his face was evident from the second he set foot back in the office.

Nikki had felt guilty as soon as she saw Harry, knowing that Leo was going to pull him into the office at any moment, changing his mood entirely.

"What are you up to?" Harry had asked her, leaning on her shoulder as she sat at the evidence table, a large book open in front of her and images of flowers covering the desk.

"Not much," Nikki had smiled back, feeling her body instantly relax as his warm breath tickled her neck. "I think I've worked out the plant from which the pollen samples came from. That we found on the clothing from the victims."

"Great," Harry had grinned, sitting down on the stool next to her and leaning in close. "Tell all Dr Alexander."

"Well," Nikki smiled, glancing at Harry briefly, and only then noticing how close he was. "It's from a plant called Caltha palustris. Or Marsh Marigold. It's part of the buttercup family."

"Is that the one you used to stick under your chin as a kid to see if it went yellow?" Harry asked playfully.

"You did what?" Nikki frowned as Harry chuckled.

"Never mind. Carry on then."

"Anyway. As you can probably tell from the name, it's found in marshes and wet woodland. Which narrows down conditions for the plants, but not the area," Nikki explained.

"Well it's a start," Harry said seriously, leaning back from the table. "It gives us something to go on."

Nikki had looked at Harry in that moment, as their eyes connected and the small, optimistic smile graced his lips, and everything seemed to look slightly better. It was in that split second that Nikki knew that Harry would never, ever disclose information on the case. On any case. Not knowingly at least. If he had let something slip during a drunken night out in relation to the Yates' case, then there is no way that he would have intentionally done so.

"I'll be right back," Nikki had smiled at Harry, standing up from the desk and making her way towards Leo's office.

If Nikki spoke to Leo soon, then she could probably defuse the situation before it got out of hand. The only reason she had gone to Leo with her concerns in the first place was because she had felt – well, she wasn't sure how she had felt about the arrival of Julia. But she hadn't liked it anyway. She had acted on a rash decision, and was regretting it now.

But just as Nikki had got to Leo's office, the door opened and Leo appeared, his features painted with concern.

"Maddox has been on the phone. We have a problem."

Everything had seemed to go into overdrive at that point. Shaw was at the Lyell within ten minutes, bringing with him the envelope in a plastic evidence bag. A blood sample was sent away for analysis, the report on Jessica Farrow was read and re-read, and the files on every victim were set out side by side. Shaw informed them that the Lyell's CCTV had been checked, as well as the station's, but nothing had shown up. It was as if the envelopes had just appeared out of nowhere.

Which meant that the conversation Nikki had been planning on having with Leo was forgotten about completely.

Throwing back the sheets, Nikki forced herself out of bed, leaning her head in her hands as her feet hit the soft carpet.

'Today would be different,' she told herself. 'Today would be the day that the evidence was found. The evidence that would stop the psycho before he killed Jessica, or any other woman that had disappeared.'

After a quick shower to wash off her old make-up, and try to wake herself up, Nikki changed into a short sleeved, thin white shirt and a pair of dark skinny jeans, along with a pair of black boots. Finally deciding that she couldn't do much more to make herself more presentable, the dark circles under her eyes still visible through her freshly applied make up, Nikki sighed and made her way to the kitchen.

The bunch of flowers that stood in a vase on the table caused a small smile to grace Nikki's lips at the thought from the previous day.

The day had been hectic, the reports and case files seeming to line every surface. Nikki had been sitting at her desk, Harry and Leo in the conference room, when Shaw had appeared, clearing his throat to catch Nikki's attention.

"Nikki," he had smiled at her. "Eh- I was just wanting to say- well, these are for you."

Shaw seemed to pull the bunch of flowers out of nowhere, handing them over in Nikki's direction with a grin.

"Oh," Nikki had said, completely taken aback.

"I know it's not really the right time, after the envelope being found and everything. I was going to get them delivered to you, to apologise for the other night. For having to skip the pub. That's why I kind of dropped asking you where you lived into the conversation. You probably noticed thought didn't you. Subtlety is not my strong point. But then I thought it might look a bit stalkerish if a bunch of flowers just turned up at your door."

Shaw laughed nervously as Nikki held the flowers tom her nose, breathing in the sweet scent.

"They're lovely, thank you," Nikki had smiled back.

The flowers were beautiful, the bright colours seeming to brighten up everything around them. Grabbing her coat on the way out the door, Nikki had one last glance back at the vibrant petals, wishing that everything could be as perfect and simple as the flowers that sat on her table.

* * *

"Harry, office please."

"Leo I've only just stepped foot in the door!" Harry groaned, throwing his coat across the back of his chair. "And, I'm actually here before Nikki, which is an achievement to begin with. So whatever you have to complain about, just remember that, ok?"

Leo raised his eyebrows, glancing from Harry to his office and back again.

"Now Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes and followed Leo into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Leo what's this about? Because if it's the Perkin's case, I promise the report is nearly done. Well, nearly started anyway," Harry grinned, yet the smile quickly slipped off his lips at the look from Leo.

"Julia mentioned something yesterday," Leo folded his arms and leant against the side of his desk. "About the playing cards that were found."

"And?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows, before realising what Leo was insinuating. "And you think that I've told her about the case, don't you?"

"I'd like you to explain why she knows about them when we have made sure the information was kept from the media at all costs," Leo explained, tilting his head to the side.

"I don't know Leo," Harry shook his head. "Maybe she just picked it up from here. She's visited a few times to go over the information of Jennifer and Ray's case, and we have been talking about it a lot."

"Maybe," Leo shrugged.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well maybe you mentioned it without realising. After a couple of drinks perhaps," Leo held out his hands.

"You don't trust me," Harry glared, feeling the anger start to rise up inside of him. He knew how important it was to keep the information confidential, he had been working as a pathologist for years and had seen the damage that could be done if the evidence wasn't protected.

"Harry I'd trust you with my life, you know that!" Leo stood from his desk, but Harry threw his hands up.

"Forget it Leo," Harry snapped, opening the office door and leaving, slamming the door behind him again.

The happy haze that seemed to have settled over Harry the previous morning had now completely dissolved, instead replaced with a rage that made his hands shake as he clenched his fists together. He wasn't completely sure why he felt so angry, and yet there seemed no way to stop the anger bubbling up inside him. Maybe it was because of the fact that he thought had only just managed to clear Julia's name, and now Leo was suggesting all sorts of things. If Harry had told Julia about the case, then he was getting blamed for being unprofessional. But if Leo believed Harry, then he was suspecting Julia.

The sound of Nikki in the kitchen snapped Harry out of his trance, and he found himself standing at the doorway watching her before he even realised that he had moved.

"Morning," she smiled brightly when she noticed him, yet her expression changed as her eyes connected with his. "What's up?"

"You know what's wrong," he growled unintentionally. "I've just spoken to Leo."

"Oh," Nikki whispered, dropping her gaze.

"See Nikki, at first I believed Leo. That he had overheard Julia talking, but you obviously know what the conversation was about already, don't you?" Harry stepped closer, his eyes never leaving Nikki. "What's wrong Nikki? You're not usually this quiet. You went to Leo, didn't you?"

Nikki looked up at Harry again, her eyes fixed and determined.

"Didn't you?" Harry shouted, and Nikki stepped back, her eyes wide.

"I, Harry I just-" Nikki began, but Harry threw his arms up and stepped closer to Nikki again.

"You know what Nikki, I thought you trusted me," Harry dropped his voice, his body now only inches from Nikki's. "I thought my best friend would come to me first, before she went to Leo to make me look stupid. To make me look incapable."

"No, Harry-"

"Yes, Nikki," Harry shouted cutting her off, not realising how close he was standing to her when he shouted until she flinched away from him.

"I would never do that!" Nikki cried, stepping back towards Harry and trying to take his hand, but he pulled away again. "I would never try to make you look incapable. I know how brilliant you are at your job."

"I know you don't like Julia," Harry said, running his hands through his hair and ignoring her last statement. "I know that, and I don't care any more. Because even though you probably don't believe it Nikki, there are other people in the world that I care about other than you, and one of them just happens to be Julia. You might not like her, but I do, and I don't care how jealous you feel any more!"

Harry heard his voice rising again as Nikki shook her head, seeming incapable of speaking.

"Harry!"

Harry spun round at the sound of his voice, coming face to face with Leo who was standing by the door.

"Both of you, in my office. Now!"

Harry threw his hands up again, shouting as he did so. He had been in work for ten minutes, and already he had been pulled into Leo's office twice, like a naughty school child.

"Right, explain," Leo confronted them both as he closed his office door again.

There was silence as Leo looked between them both, waiting for a response.

"Harry, you have to prove to me right now that you are capable of dealing with the Yates' case, and that you are not too emotionally involved through Julia, or I'm pulling you from it completely," Leo sighed.

"You're unbelievable Leo!" Harry shouted. "You're still questioning me over this, when it seems to me that it's Nikki that can't let this go. It's Nikki that keeps trying to find a reason to blame Julia for something she has nothing to do with!"

"Harry you're taking this case too seriously," said Leo as Harry started to pace his office.

"Too seriously," Harry laughed, turning to Leo. "How can I take a case _too _seriously? You're the one who's always telling me to grow up! You're the one reminding us how many people have been killed. How the hell can I be taking it _too _seriously?"

"You've become emotionally involved," Leo sighed, trying to talk directly to Harry, who continued to pace the office.

"I have not become emotionally involved in the slightest," Harry stopped, turning to Nikki. "I barely mention Julia at work, and it is Nikki that keeps bringing her into the conversation. Accusing her of being involved in murdering her own sister."

"I didn't accuse her," Nikki said, shaking her head. "I thought she might have more information, that's all."

"Even after I tested the DNA samples, you still didn't believe me though, did you Nikki? The DNA couldn't have been Julia's, because it was too different to Jennifer's. They were sisters, how do you think she is capable of murdering her sister?" Harry was shouting again, getting closer to Nikki, and suddenly Leo was standing in between them.

"I don't think that," Nikki dropped her voice to barely a whisper. "I don't. And I was going to speak to Leo this morning to tell him that I was being stupid yesterday. That I was just imagining things. But you chose today of all days to make it into work before me."

"You did the right thing telling me," Leo replied, however his gaze didn't leave Harry. "You were right, Julia had to have found out from somewhere."

"So you _are_ accusing me Leo!" Harry shouted again.

"Well explain to me properly then Harry," Leo was having a hard time keeping his voice steady, Harry could tell.

"I shouldn't have to."

"You shouldn't really be working on the cases anyway," Leo stated. "If you're involved with Julia, then Nikki should have the Yates' case. And if the two cases are linked, well…"

"What, you're getting rid of me now?" Harry shook his head. "Do you really undermine my decisions that much Leo?"

"I do not undermine you Harry! I said you shouldn't, not that I'm going to take you off the case. You were involved with the case before you were with Julia, and we still don't understand how close the cases are linked. We need you working with us, not against us."

Harry realised that he was now standing so close to Leo that he could feel his breath on his skin and see straight into his eyes. But Leo's eyes didn't hold anger. It was something much worse, something that seemed to fuel Harry's own rage. He saw disappointment.

"Please Harry, just listen-" Nikki said quietly, but Harry cut her off.

"Stay out of this Nikki, all this is your fault in the first place," Harry said, not looking away from Leo.

"Harry, I didn't-" Nikki tried again, trying to take Harry's hand as she had done in the kitchen, but again he pulled away from her.

"I mean it Nikki, leave it," he snapped, turning to face her. "You just can't keep your nose out, can you? You can't bear to see me happy when you're so miserable. You're like a spoilt little brat that has to be the centre of attention. Has to come running to Leo when things don't go your way."

"Don't speak to her like that," Leo warned.

"Or what Leo? You already treat me like a child, are you going to tell me off again? I think Nikki is more than capable of looking after herself. She just doesn't seem to realise that I am too," Harry's hands continued to shake, as he clenched his fists.

"I do not underestimate you," Leo said quietly. "I trust your decisions. You are a brilliant pathologist."

"And yet you still question me. You still think I'd tell someone about the case, that I don't realise how important it is to keep evidence confidential?"

"I had to be sure," Leo sighed. "I had to check. Look, you're not thinking straight right now. Why don't we-"

Leo made to move, but Harry grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

"Who are you to say whether or not I am thinking straight," Harry growled, inches from Leo. "I am perfectly capable of my job."

"I didn't say that you weren't," retorted Leo.

Nikki carefully took Harry's hand and tried to pull him away from Leo.

"Harry come on, it's not-" she began but Harry pushed her aside.

"Everything I do just isn't good enough, is it?" Harry questioned Leo, unsure of what was making him continue, rather than just walking away. "I must be acting the way I am because of some woman. Because I'm that easily led, aren't I Leo?"

Leo stood and watched Harry, letting him continue, and Harry was almost disappointed that Leo wasn't retaliating. Wasn't giving him the argument he wanted.

"Because I'm so desperate to jump into bed with some woman that I'll do anything to get it!" Harry continued, looking Leo straight in the eyes.

"Harry stop it!" shouted Nikki, grabbing Harry firmly by the arm.

"Stay out of it!" Harry shouted, throwing his arm out as hard as he could against her as he tried to ignore Nikki.

Harry felt his arm make contact with the force that was on his arm. He heard the 'thud' and the sharp intake of breath. And suddenly, everything seemed to go into slow motion.

Both Harry and Leo broke eye contact, turning instead in Nikki's direction.

Harry could see the streak of red blood running down her pale skin. His forensic skills instantly took over as he analysed the situation in front of him, as if trying to piece together what had just happened. Nikki was on the floor, a large gash above her eyebrow, the shape of which was identical to the side of Leo's desk. Harry looked at his hands that were shaking uncontrollably as he realised exactly what he had just done.

Nikki blinked up at him before placing her hand to her forehead, and watching the blood run down her fingers as she took it away again. Harry stood still, torn between wanting run to Nikki and scoop her into his arms as he always did when she was hurt, or run away from what he had done to her. From the blood that ran down the side of her head and the tears down her cheeks. But it was Leo who made the decision for him.

"Harry, get out," he heard Leo say, but his voice sounded like it was in the distance. He couldn't look away from Nikki, even though the blood that was tainting her blonde hair and pale skin was all that he seemed to be able to see.

Leo moved and stood in front of him, blocking his view and suddenly snapping him back into reality.

"Get out," Leo said again, looking Harry directly in the eyes as he had done before.

But this time, Harry listened, forcing himself out of Leo's office and slamming the door behind him. He walked right past his desk leaving his car keys where they sat and out the front doors, letting his feet take him wherever they wished.


	40. Chapter 40  I'm sorry

**Firstly, just like the chapter title, I'm sorry for not uploading sooner!**

**I had it nearly ready on Friday, but then my dad was knocked off his motorbike on the way to work and my head was all over the place so couldn't concentrate enough to finish it (He's ok though, thankfully :D), then was at a hen party yesterday, so that could have been interesting trying to write it, then practically re-wrote this chapter today. Still not entirely happy with it, but I think I have a clearer idea where all this is going :)**

**THANK YOU to all you amazing people still reading, and especially to heleni0, pinkswallowsun (Flossie and Issy), EmmaJ1996, Butterflied, Terriah, PondOfAngels, rachel, dinabar, Izzy, Thyqua, Starr123, gem.S and Emilybubblestoby - I actually LOVE you all. You are beyond amazing :D**

**Sorry for the rambling... **

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 40 – I'm sorry

Every part of his body trembled, his fists flexing open and closed slowly in the cold as he tried to focus on the blood that was dripping down his knuckles and across his wrist. The blood was warm, steadily seeping through the raw skin on his fingers and knuckles, yet the rest of his body was numb.

The wall that he was leaning against as he sat on the wet concrete dug into his back, the pebble -dashed surface sticking into his shoulder blades. The same pebble-dashed wall that was now imbedded in his swollen knuckles, yet he didn't seem to be able to feel the pain that he knew he should be feeling.

The icy rain ran down the back of his neck, soaking his thin shirt that was now sticking to his skin, and dripping off the end of his hair. But he didn't care. He didn't care about the cold, or the pain, or the darkness that was beginning to settle around him.

He had left the Lyell after being at work for barely half an hour that morning, and had no idea what time it could now be. After leaving he had just walked, simply walked as far as he could in any direction, choosing which way to go on no logic in particular. As if his mind was flipping a coin at every junction, deciding which way to go without his body knowing, just instructing his feet to keep going. Keep walking.

After what felt like hours, Harry had stumbled upon a small, dark pub that was nearly deserted, and was surely one of the only pubs that were open before mid day. Slipping inside out the rain, Harry found a single table in the corner and sat down, realising that his wallet was still at work, as well as his apartment and car keys that were sitting on his desk.

"You going to buy a drink or just sit there moping all day?" the woman behind the bar had shouted across the pub, leaning on the bar as she poured herself a spirit from behind her.

"Sit here," Harry mumbled back, not taking his eyes off a knot in the table.

"I'm not a homeless shelter you know?" she asked him. "I'm trying to run a business here, so if you're just going to sit and depress anyone else who walks through the door then you can forget it."

"Hmm," Harry grumbled again, still not looking up at the woman who was addressing him.

After a few minutes, Harry heard movement from the bar, before a glass was placed in front of him with a thud.

"Here."

Finally, Harry looked up and caught the eye on the woman standing beside the table, her long dark hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and her eyes swimming with an emotion that Harry couldn't quite place.

"I don't have any money with me," Harry stated, glancing at the glass of vodka that had been placed on the table.

"Well I don't have any other customers for you to scare off just yet, and I'm not drinking by myself."

"Thanks," Harry tried to smile, yet it quickly slipped off his lips.

Pulling out a chair, the woman sat down opposite him, holding out her hand for Harry to take.

"I'm Susan. Part time alcoholic, full time college drop out. This is my parents' place. That's why they leave me in charge of it through the day. So they don't have to be here."

Harry nodded, swallowing the vodka in one mouthful and placing the glass back down heavily.

"Right, so I tell you, a complete stranger who's decided to visit _my _pub, about me, and I don't even get your name?"

"I thought it was your parents' place," Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, so you were listening."

"I didn't really have a choice, did I?"

"Fine," Susan sighed, pushing her chair back. "Fine. Well, if you don't want another drink, then get out. I can't keep handing you drinks for free and you're obviously not going to buy one."

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled as Susan stood up. "Thank you. For the drink. And for letting me come in here in the first place."

Susan smiled, sitting down again as Harry held out his hand out once more.

"Harry."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Susan smiled. "So, who is she then?"

Harry narrowed his eyes as Susan stood up and disappeared in the direction of the bar.

"I've been working here long enough to know when a guy walks in with woman problems," she shouted from behind the counter.

"No, you really don't have a clue what my problem is," Harry mumbled. "There's no way to fix what I've just done."

The very thought of what had happed a few hours ago caused Harry's hands to start shaking again, and he grasped the empty glass to try and steady them.

Susan appeared moments later, setting a full bottle of whisky on the table as well as two new glasses.

"You have two options," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Either you sit there and tell me what happened, and then I will give you my honest and unbiased opinion on what I think you should do, or, you drink enough whisky to forget about what happened and then you go home and sleep off your hangover."

"You don't have enough whisky for me to forget," Harry said quietly. "There is no way I could ever, _ever _forget. No matter how much I want to."

It had been hours later that Harry had eventually left the pub, having drank far too much whisky and promising Susan that he would return to pay her for the drinks, if he could ever find the place again. He still had no idea where he had walked to, or how long he had been gone from the Lyell. But the one thing he did know was that he wasn't going back just yet. He couldn't bear to have Leo avoid eye contact with him for the rest of the day, or the disappointment he would see in his eyes. And he definitely couldn't stand being in the same room as Nikki. Not after what he had done. He couldn't look at the blemish he had caused on her perfect skin, not without being reminded of how he had caused her so much pain.

Not just the physical pain, but the insults that he had thrown at her like daggers, aimed right at her heart where he knew they would cause the most damage.

They had argued countless times over the years, spitting their insults at each other in an attempt to put the other down, or to prove their point. But never had Harry acted like he had today. Never had there been a time when a hug and a muttered apology weren't enough to make up for the petty argument that had occurred.

Harry had told Susan all about Nikki. About how they worked together, and how dedicated to her job she was. He had told her about the way Nikki would sit at his desk for hours flicking through massive books that he always dreaded even picking up, and the fact that when she giggled it always caused a smile to grace his lips.

But he couldn't tell her about what had happened other than that they had argued. That he had said some things that he regretted and he didn't know how to fix it. He couldn't tell her about the fact that he had lashed out at her, how he had knocked her tiny frame away from him when all she was trying to do was help him. To calm him down before he did something that he would later regret. He doubted even Susan would have a suggestion as to how to fix what had happened if he had told her the entire story.

After leaving, Harry had staggered in the same direction he had been going before he had found the pub, trudging through the rain that splashed against his damp trousers, weaving between side streets and along footpaths. It wasn't until he had turned up a particularly dark side street and tripped over a loose paving slab that Harry stopped, leaning against the wall.

It was only then, in his slightly drunken state, with the rain felling around him, that the anger seemed to reach boiling point within Harry, exploding in a violent outburst as his fist made contact with the wall he was leaning against repeatedly, until the skin on his knuckles shredded against the pebble-dashed surface.

And that is when Harry slid down the wall, sitting on the concrete and placing his head in his hands.

There was only one thing that was on his mind. One person that filled his thoughts as he squeezed his eyes closed, leaning his forehead against his knees.

To be honest, it was the same person that often filled his thoughts. Her blonde curls falling perfectly across her shoulders, her large brown eyes that held so many secrets, secrets that he knew only he ever got to see. Her soft pink lips, and pale skin, and the crimson red blood…

Harry could feel tears stinging the back of his eyes, threatening to spill over, and although he knew that no one would be able to see him, he refused to cry. To cry would mean that he was weak, and he had to stay strong in order to make it home. To make it through London and back to his apartment in one piece. And so slowly, Harry took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet, glancing around him and making his way back in the direction he had just walked.

* * *

Harry stopped outside his apartment, his keys grasped in his swollen hand, scrutinising the view in front of him. There was a light on. A light that he knew he had turned off that morning before he had gone to work.

After walking for over an hour, Harry had managed to find a familiar path, and found his way back to the Lyell Centre, the darkness having now settled in the winter's evening. He knew that Leo and Nikki could still be inside, unless Leo had sent Nikki home. But either way, he didn't want to meet either of them. Not yet.

Stepping through the front door of the Lyell and into the reception area, the receptionist at the desk smiled and waved slightly.

"Dr Cunningham," she greeted him. "Professor Dalton told me to expect you back here at some point and asked me to give you this."

"Thanks," Harry mumbled, taking a small white envelope from the receptionist and turning away again.

Ripping open the envelope, his set of keys fell out onto his waiting palm, along with a simple note.

'She's forgiven you. You have to do the same. See you tomorrow. Leo.'

Harry instantly felt the tears spring to his eyes again, and yet he didn't know why.

Nikki had forgiven him. After what he had done to her, she had forgiven him, for something that was completely unforgivable. There was no way he could forgive himself, no matter what Nikki told him, or what she thought. There was no way he deserved forgiveness.

And Leo. Leo had known that Harry would be back. That he wouldn't want to enter the office. That he would never be able to forget about what had happened…

Harry sighed slowly, looking at the light through the window. Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe he had forgotten to turn a light off this morning. Slipping his key into the lock, he pushed the door open and was welcomed by the warmth of his apartment immediately, as well as the faint smell of strawberries that could only even be associated with one person.

Silently slipping off his soaking shoes, trying to keep his balance with the after effects of the whisky, Harry peered into his living room and could see the small, sleeping blonde on his sofa, her shoes sitting by her bag at one side. She was tucked up in a tight ball, her eyes fluttering slightly, and Harry suddenly found himself unable to move.

Even from a distance he could see the steri- strips that ran across the gash above her right eyebrow, keeping the skin in place, and the guilt once again threatened to consume him.

If anyone else was in the room at that moment, they would have thought that Nikki looked peaceful, asleep on his sofa, yet Harry knew different. Nikki always slept spread out, like a cat in the sun, her slender legs pointing down to the arm rest. She had fallen asleep on his sofa, and been placed in his bed, more times than he could remember, and every time, she had stretched out, still not quite reaching the bottom.

But today she was tucked up, which meant that she was worried about something. Which meant that she wasn't alright, and that he had caused her even more pain. Even when she was sleeping…

Tiptoeing past her, Harry entered the kitchen for a glass of water, the whiskey beginning to make his stomach turn. Yet as he was lifting down a glass to fill up, he hit it off the tab and it smashed into the sink.

"Shit."

"Harry?"

Harry spun round at her voice, and could see Nikki sitting tentatively on the edge of the sofa, before turning his back on her again quickly.

"What are you doing here?" he hadn't meant it to sound the way it did, yet he couldn't look at her properly, afraid of when he might see in her eyes. Hatred perhaps. Or disappointment. Maybe she had only told Leo she had forgiven him to keep him quiet. To stop him from asking her questions.

"I'm sorry, I let myself in. I still have your spare key."

'Of course you do,' Harry thought to himself. He knew how she had gotten into his apartment, but he didn't know why she had decided to do so.

"I know," his answer was short, yet he didn't know what to say to her. He'd never had to think about what to say to Nikki, it was usually so simple. "I don't want you here."

"Harry I- please. Please just look at me," Nikki whispered, yet Harry refused to turn around. "Harry!"

Her voice was louder, yet the pain was evident and Harry could tell that she was close to tears.

"Harry, if you're still angry with me about what I said about Julia I'm sorry-"

"Don't ever say that," Harry shouted, his fingers gripping the counter. "Don't ever say sorry to me, ever. Not after what I did to you."

"Harry," her voice was small again, yet Harry could tell that she was closer to him. "Please look at me. Please talk to me."

Harry stood rooted to the spot, refusing to turn around.

"Harry look at me!" Nikki cried. "Just talk to me. Or shout. Or scream or swear I really don't care, just say _something _to me!"

Spinning round, Harry didn't realise how close they were standing, and was suddenly face to face with Nikki, her eyes red and bloodshot, the tears running freely down her cheeks and her breath catching on her sobs.

When he had decided to jump into bed with Julia his mind had been the last part of his body to think about what he was doing. And he certainly hadn't felt anything towards her beyond lust. He was so accustomed to one night stands that he had moved automatically, pushing all his emotions to the back of his mind and locking them away.

But now, standing in front of Nikki, he questioned himself why he even doubted her. Why he ever thought that she was capable of making something up to ensure that he was unhappy. Thinking that she was jealous of him.

Because standing in front of him, tear stained and shaking slightly, Nikki Alexander was showing Harry every little feeling that she was possible of displaying. She was hiding nothing from him, not one little thing, no matter how much it hurt to show it. She was open, and the raw emotion that he could see in her eyes caused his heart to ache. How could he ever have doubted her, when she was possibly the only person in the world he could talk to about anything? The only person who would listen to him and never question his actions?

He had let this happen. After promising to himself that he would keep her safe, he was now the reason she was hurting. And it could never happen again.

"You're hurt," Nikki mumbled, noticing Harry's hand.

"It's nothing."

Slowly, tentatively, Harry stretched out his hand, gently taking her wrist. And there it was.

It was so small that Nikki probably didn't realise that she had done it. But it was there. He felt it.

She flinched.

From him.

And that changed everything.

Pulling her in towards his chest, Harry rested his chin on the top of her head, noticing how perfectly she seemed to slot underneath him. There was something just right about the way she fit into his body. Julia was too tall to rest his chin on, but Nikki… Nikki was just the right height.

Nikki wrapped her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and Harry could feel her warm tears on his soaking chest. But there was no way he was going to let her think that this was ok. He was not forgiving himself that easy. He couldn't let himself hurt her any more.

"I really am sorry," Harry whispered in her ear as he let go of her, trying not to make eye contact and to keep his voice steady. "But this doesn't change anything. Please go Nikki. I don't want you here."

Nikki shook her head slowly.

"It was an accident Harry. A stupid, pathetic argument and a complete accident. You can't blame yourself-"

"I can and I will," Harry said sternly, stepping back from Nikki who looked suddenly lost now that she wasn't in his arms. "I can't do this Nikki. I can't look at you and think that everything is ok, because it's not. I've ruined everything. Just go, now. Go home."

"You've been drinking," Nikki stuttered tearfully. "That's why you're saying these things."

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "No, it's not that. I don't want you here. You shouldn't be driving, not after- just phone a taxi and go. Now."

"I am fine to drive, but I'm not going until we talk Harry," Nikki said, the tears still falling down her porcelain cheeks.

"No," Harry repeated sternly, turning away from her, knowing that there was no way he could look her in the eyes.

"I don't want you Nikki."

There was silence, before Harry heard Nikki sniff, slip her shoes back on and walk towards the door.

"I will always forgive you Harry. You're my best friend, and nothing will ever change that. You will always be the one I turn to, forever Harry," Nikki sniffed, before opening the door and disappearing.

Turning back to where she had just been standing, Harry walked to the door and placed his head against the wood, feeling his heart thumping against his chest.

"Forever," he whispered, feeling the tears in his own eyes.

And that was the reason he had turned away from her. So she wouldn't be able to tell that he was lying. To see the pain in his eyes as he had to send her away, when all he had wanted to do was hold her and tell her that everything was going to be ok. To put on a crappy film and have her fall asleep in his arms, like every Friday night.

It was the only lie that she had ever believed. That he didn't want her.

And it could quite easily be the one that had just done the most damage.


	41. Chapter 41  Unwanted Visitors

**I'm sorry! I really am awful at updating this :( Been busy again with a wedding and them training with my boyfriend for the end-to-end walk that he decided to enter me in... how nice of him :P It's a 40 mile walk, but thankfully, because I'm not 21 yet I only need to do 22 miles :) Only... ha, I am so unfit it's ridiculous!**

**Anyway, enough with the ramblings. Thank you to anyone still reading, despite my slow updates. Officially passed half way in the work run now though :) yey! :p A MASSIVE thank you to heleni0, Starr123, EmmaJ1996, Thyqua, pinkswallowsun, Emilybubblestoby, freitazal, gem.S, Izzy, Butterflied, dinabar, HNfan1992 and Sally Mayhem - it's because of you that this is still going :D**

**And thank you for all the messages about my dad :) he's fine, just a few bumps and bruises, and a destroyed bike...**

**I'm sorry about this chapter. Everybody probably seen it coming, and yet it took 40 chapters to get here... I'm going to be quiet now :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 41 - Unwanted Visitors

She really didn't like the wind. Hated it in fact. And yet Nikki Alexander sat on the old wooden bench around the corner from her apartment, the strong wind blowing her blonde hair in front of her face, and her tears blending in with the rain that ran down her pale cheeks.

Usually on a night that she was feeling this low, which when she thought about it hadn't been for quite some time, Nikki knew deep down that everything would be alright. It was always ok in the end, because she had her best friend to fix it all. To wave the magical wand and lift the blanket of self pity that had been blanketing her view of the world.

He was there to hold her when she cried, or make her laugh when she thought that she would never be able to do so again. He was there to protect her from herself and the dangers around her, showing her that no matter how bad it seemed to get, there was always something worth carrying on for. He was just there, her best friend, making her see that there was good in the world after all.

But Harry Cunningham didn't want her.

He had told her so himself. Nikki couldn't blame him really. It had been nearly eight years that he had put up with her now. That he had tolerated her being around after she had gate crashed the Lyell Centre and practically refused to leave. He had put up with her obsessive nature surrounding particular cases, where she had spent all night reading through the evidence or reconstructing a victim's face, and then had been short tempered with Harry for the rest of the day. She always knew that it was down to lack of sleep that she was so antisocial, but Harry didn't have to put up with her, not really. And yet he always did.

Nikki had lost count of how many times she had fallen asleep on Harry's sofa after a long day at work, the film that they were supposed to be watching blending into the background. But now all that was over… Harry didn't want her around any more. He didn't want their Friday film nights, or their lunches together in the café across the road from work. He was fed up of putting up with her. He didn't want her any more.

Wiping her cheeks roughly with the sleeve of her coat, Nikki forced herself to her feet and stumbled around the corner to her apartment. She was freezing, her hair soaked through and her skinny jeans sticking to her legs, yet she didn't seem to notice. She felt numb, both inside and out, as she punched in the code for the building without thinking about it.

After finding her keys in her handbag, Nikki stepped into her cold apartment and threw off her wet coat, abandoning it in a heap by the front door along with her boots and drenched socks. She could feel the goose bumps on her bare arms, but she was so emotionally drained that all the could focus on doing was curling up on her sofa, where she tucked up her knees and let her tears roll down her cheeks and into the soft fabric.

* * *

Harry scanned his liquor cabinet for anything strong, settling on a bottle of unopened whisky that was hidden at the back and noting that the contents were lower than he had hoped for. It was then that the images of a sleeping Nikki on his rug from a few days ago entered his mind, and the weak smile graced his lips before he realised it was there. Sighing loudly he squeezed his eyes closed, his grip on the whisky bottle tightening and making the raw skin on his knuckles sting.

Everything had seemed so simple last week. So natural and easy, despite the cases that were still unsolved. Just having Nikki sitting next to him on the sofa, 'Lethal Weapon' playing in the background as she talked constantly, fuelled by far too much to alcohol, everything had seemed to just fit. And after putting Nikki in his bed, tucking the sheets up to her chin, Harry couldn't help but imagine tucking her up every night in his bed, before climbing in next to her and wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

But now, he had changed everything. He had destroyed their friendship and Nikki would never want to be as close to him ever again, no matter how much she told him otherwise. How could she ever trust him like she had before? How could she open up to him like she had done for the past eight years and tell him all her fears, when it was down to him that she was hurting so much? He had ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him, before he had managed to pluck up the courage to tell her how he felt.

He would always feel the same way about Nikki. Always, no matter how much they saw of each other, no matter who entered their lives. Yet the very thought of telling her how he felt had always seemed to catch in him heart, telling him that he would destroy their friendship if he was to voice such thoughts.

And he had managed to do just that, ruin everything, and he still hadn't told her how he felt. He never would, not now. Not after he had scared her so much that she flinched away from his very touch.

Nothing would ever be the same between them again.

It was entirely his fault, and he hated himself for it.

* * *

After about half an hour, although she had no concept of time she has been there, Nikki had managed to cry herself to sleep on her sofa, her bare arms still covered in goose bumps. Yet her sleep was restless and disturbed, filled with images that she had been trying to block out when she was awake.

Night had begun to set in properly now, her entire front room now enclosed in darkness, and although Nikki drifted between sleep and consciousness, nothing seemed to make sense. It was as if her mind couldn't work out how she could feel so bad, and not be with Harry. He was always there to comfort her, to hold her, before she managed to reach this stage… always.

The slight knock at her door slowly made its way into her mind as her eyes fluttered open, blinking to adjust to the minimal light. And yet she didn't want to move. There was only one person that she wanted to see right now, and there was no way that it was going to be him at her door, so whoever it was could go away. She didn't want to see them.

Nikki had resigned herself to the fact that she was going to cry herself back to sleep on the sofa, wake up in the middle of the night and make her way to work with the excuse that she had a lot to do. She would then be able to leave early, and hopefully avoid Harry.

Harry.

Just the thought of his name made the tears spring to her eyes once more. They had fought before, but never like this. He had never hurt her like this before, and she didn't mean physically. That she could deal with. She'd already forgiven him for it, even if he hadn't forgiven himself.

She heard the knock again and closed her eyes tight. The lights were still off, surely whoever it was would go away when she didn't answer. She was too numb to move, to talk to whoever it was on the other side of the door. And yet there was still that small, fleeting hope that it was Harry at the door, with a bottle of wine in his hand, and a pathetic attempt at an apology. But then again, maybe it _was _Harry. Harry minus the wine. Minus the apology. Maybe he had come round to tell Nikki that he was leaving. That he had decided to move in with Julia and get away from her for good. Move to another pathology unit where he didn't need to put up with her.

Her head still throbbed where Leo had taped the cut closed with the steri-strips from the first aid box, before telling her to go home and phone him if there were any problems. But it was Harry's words that had done all the damage. They had cut far deeper and would be much harder to heal.

And yet she knew without a doubt that this time it was not Harry at her door.

The knock sounded again. Whoever it was, they were not going to go away any time soon. Breathing in deeply, Nikki forced herself to her feet and padded across the room to the front door, holding herself tightly against the cold. She could see the outline of whoever it was behind the frosted glass and could tell instantly that it was a man. However, with a sinking feeling in her heart, she knew that it wasn't Harry. This outline was tall and muscular, with shoulders much too broad to belong to her best friend.

"Who is it?" Nikki asked, her throat dry from crying for so long.

But there was no answer as she placed her hand on the handle.

"Who's there?"

"I'm a friend of Harry's," the woman's voice answered from the other side, and Nikki frowned. It was definitely a man she could see…

A friend of Harry's? Why would a friend of Harry's be at her door, especially after what had happened? There is no way that Harry would even think about telling anyone what had happened, as that would mean talking about feelings, and that was something he would only do with her. Well, it _was_ anyway, until tonight. Leo would get the general idea of what had gone on, but not the whole story. And she didn't think that she could tell him the whole thing either. Some things were best never to be spoken of. Maybe then they didn't actually happen.

"Can I come in?" the voice asked, making Nikki jump. She had forgotten what she had been doing.

"I- I don't know," she hesitated. "I'm sorry, who are you both?"

"Please, it'll only take a minute?" she asked again. "We could talk here if you'd rather, I don't need to come in. Just a few words."

Nikki still didn't open the door, and the voice continued. It was strangely familiar, and yet she couldn't quite place it. She couldn't work out where she had heard it before…

"Look, I know it's late, but we just want a few words. We're from a pathology unit outside of London, and we'd heard of the killings. Of the case that you're looking at. Harry phoned a few days ago to explain everything in the off chance we had some similar cases up our way, and we came to speak to him but he doesn't seem to be around. So that's why we came to see you instead. But you don't really want to do this through the door, do you? Not where everyone can hear."

Nikki flicked the catch off the door, gripping the handle and puling the door open an inch before freezing.

They were here to talk about the killings. About the case. They had spoken to Harry… and they knew where she lived. They knew which apartment was hers. Harry would never, ever tell anyone where she lived, not after last time. Not after the Naomi incident… but before she could push the door closed again, there was a force on the other side and the door slammed open, flying out of her hands.

Nikki gasped and jumped back, tripping over her boots that she had left there earlier and falling to the floor as the male figure stepped into the room.

He was tall, muscular, wide shouldered, and as the light from the hallway caught his features Nikki froze once more, her breath catching in her chest as the woman stepped behind him.

"Hello Dr Alexander," he grinned, stepping towards her in one stride and grabbing her by the wrist, pulling her to her feet.

"Get off," Nikki managed to stutter, pulling against him as hard as she could. "Let me go! Why are you doing this?"

He laughed, a loud, manic laugh that echoed through her apartment.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know," the woman smiled as Nikki continued to fight against the grasp on her wrist.

Roughly, he pulled her in towards his chest, twisting her as he did so until her back was against his body and his arm was holding her tight.

"Let go of me," Nikki shouted, trying to keep the fear from her voice. "Let go. I'm not going anywhere with you. I thought you -"

"Well Dr Alexander, I don't think you have a choice," he growled in her ear before a hand was clasped over her mouth preventing her from finishing her sentence, the unmistakable stench of chloroform swimming through her senses.

Fighting against the dizziness that was starting to fill her head, Nikki weakly lashed out, yet her limbs felt like jelly and soon she felt her legs give way as he dropped her to her knees.

Lying on cold floor, Nikki just managed to make out the woman in the doorway as she grabbed her car keys from the cupboard by the front door, the male stepping over and disappearing behind her.

Breathing rapidly, desperately trying to catch her breath, Nikki felt a large hand grab her chin, twisting her head until she was looking right at him as he knelt down beside her, a wide grin on his face.

"Say goodbye Doctor. You'll never be coming back here again. We'll give you all the answers you've been looking for, but they'll do you no good. Not any more," he laughed, before clamping the damp cloth back over her mouth and holding it there until her eyes drifted closed completely and everything disappeared into nothingness.


	42. Chapter 42  Just Phone

**I am so, so, SO sorry this is so late! Between work, work and more work I've had no time to write, and then when I did, the words just wouldn't fit :( So I am REALLY sorry, and this chapter isn't how I planned it to be, and it's shorter than usual, but I had to get something up to break the writer's block :)**

**I was working at a children's farm on Wed as part of a Community service that the place I'm working in is doing this year, and had to do a lot of digging, so was speaking to someone who studied forensic science at uni before changing to accountancy, and now have about 3 one shot ideas. Hopefully I can write them better quicker than this.**

**And I found a bone! Apparently it was a sheep's... :P haha. And then squealed when I realised what it was... yes, I'm a wimp :)**

**Anyway, thank you to anyone sticking with this, and a MASSIVE thank you to Thyqua, Sally Mayhem, Emilybubblestoby, Izzy, EmmaJ1996, Terriah, Starr123, gem.S, Vixi89, dinabar, rachel and pinkswallowsun for your reviews. You're the best :D**

**And finally, I hope that anyone who got their results in the past few weeks got what they were hoping for :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 42 – Just phone

"I didn't think you would be in today," Leo announced as Harry threw open the glass doors into the office, avoiding Leo's gaze as he made his way to his desk.

"I work here, don't I?"

He knew he sounded short with Leo, but to completely honest, he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone today. It was going to be awkward enough, having to work beside Nikki after everything that had happened the day before, and he knew that no matter what Leo said, he was disappointed in him. But that was nothing compared to what Harry thought of himself.

Turning on his computer, Harry sat down at his desk and leant his head in his hands. He felt awful, and was sure it was only a matter of time before he had to run to the bathroom and throw up. Again. He really had to stop making a habit of turning up to work still drunk from the night before, but last night the only thing that seemed to stop his mind from reliving the day was the content of his liquor cabinet… or what was left after Nikki had helped him diminish the stocks a few days previously.

Nikki. Everything he thought about seemed to go back to Nikki. No matter how much he tried to distract himself.

"Is the Lennon case ready?" Leo called from his office.

"No."

"Then get it done by the end of the day."

God, this was going to be a long day.

Harry sighed and opened the Lennon case on his computer. Maybe taking his mind off the playing card killings would help slightly. The report shouldn't take long to write, theoretically. It was a simple case of drink driving, only one car involved, one fatality, and one report to write. He had written similar reports a hundred times, unfortunately, and he knew that he would probably write a hundred more by the time he eventually retired.

He was sure that Nikki had given him this case on purpose, rather than the overdose victim that had been found a couple of days ago. Leo had told them that they had to complete one case each, and Nikki had offered to take the overdose, even though she always hated doing them. It was if she had known that Harry was having a hard enough time with everything that was going on with the Yates' case, and the playing card killings, and Julia, that he didn't need to be reminded of his past with working on a suicide case.

Not that it was easier working on a drunk driver's post mortem... surely that was practically suicide when you thought about it, the only difference being that the victim could have quite easily taken more innocent lives with his own.

And how had he repaid her, after every little thing she did for him without, some of which he probably didn't even notice?

He'd done it again. Thought about Nikki. So much for distracting himself...

After nearly an hour, Harry hit print and extracted his report from the printer, before signing it and taking it to Leo's office. Pausing momentarily outside Leo's door, Harry sighed deeply, before knocking once and stepping into the office.

"Lennon case," Harry announced, dropping the file on Leo's desk and turning to walk away.

"About time too," Leo said, and Harry spun around to look at him again.

"I'll have you know, I don't think I've ever written a case as quick as that one, so don't 'about time' me Leo," Harry raised his eyebrows, and was surprised to see Leo smiling back at him.

"Well how about you write all of your cases that quick from now on, then maybe I'll stop annoying you so much."

"Hmmm… nah I don't think I will," Harry smiled, knowing that it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Go away and do some work," Leo rolled his eyes as Harry turned away again. "And Harry, talk to Nikki later will you."

Harry stopped again.

"Is she in the cutting room?" Harry asked quietly.

"No."

"At a crime scene?"

"No."

Harry glanced over his shoulder towards Leo.

"Harry stop worrying, I gave her the day off. I thought she needed some rest after all the long nights," Leo explained. "Phone her later and talk to her. She's forgiven you. It was an accident Harry."

"I know, I've spoken to her."

"You have?" Leo asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"She came around last night. Well, she was there when I got home. And we – talked. Just talked," Harry trailed off, his mind travelling back to the night before.

"Hmm, well I hope you sorted things out, because there is no way that I'm putting up with you two ignoring each other again," Leo said, turning back to his computer.

Harry paused again, before leaving the office and closing the door behind him.

Sitting back at his desk, Harry suddenly felt as if everything around him was different, and yet he couldn't work out why. It wasn't until he reached into his pen pot and found Nikki's lip gloss yet again that the differences came crashing down on him, staring him right in the face.

She wasn't there. She wasn't sat at his desk, her coat wasn't draped over the back of his chair. Her bag wasn't overflowing with a million things that she surely didn't need to carry round with her on a daily basis. Her mobile wasn't buzzing constantly from admirers and police officers and God only knows who else… she wasn't there.

But he wanted her to be there, no matter what he had told her last night. Last night he was fueled by rage, an all consuming anger at himself. He hadn't meant anything that he'd said.

He _did _needed her.

And he had gone and messed everything up. He had to ring her, just to check that she was ok. Just to hear her voice, even if all she was going to do was shout at him. He wanted to be shouted at, he wanted her to yell at him and tell him how much of an arse he really was. Because she shouldn't have forgiven him so easily, this time he didn't deserve forgiveness.

Finally, Harry grabbed his mobile from his pocket and speed dialled Nikki's number, leaning back in his chair as he did so, preparing for Nikki's ranting to start when she picked up the phone. If she picked up the phone.

It rang once, twice, three times…

She always picked up on the third ring, always. But this time it kept ringing, and ringing, each ring making Harry's heart sink further.

She was ignoring him, and that was a million times worse than the shouting and screaming, but no more than he deserved.

Sighing loudly, Harry dropped his phone back into his pocket and made his way to Leo's office, entering without knocking.

"I need your mobile."

"And what is wrong with yours?" Leo asked without looking up.

"Nothing. I just- need a different number," Harry trailed off as Leo looked up at him expectantly. "Ok, I phoned Nikki but she's ignoring me. Maybe she won't ignore your number though."

"What did you say to her last night to cause her to ignore you, after she was offering you forgiveness?" Leo pressed.

"I need your mobile."

"Just fix it Harry, yeah?" Leo shook his head, handing over his phone.

Harry nodded reluctantly and dialled Nikki's number, the phone already at his ear before he had even left the office.

"Come on Nikki," he muttered to the phone. "Just pick up and yell at me. Just let me know your ok."

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was the cold. The bitter cold that seemed to cling to her bare skin, freezing her to her core and numbing her whole body.

And the next thing she noticed was that she wasn't alone. Even without opening her eyes she could hear something in the background, a distant muffling noise that almost sounded like the whimpering of a small child.

And then he laughed, sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

Trying to keep her breathing steady, she lay as still as she could, not daring to open her eyes.

"Next time, I won't be so- forgiving," she could hear him cackle, before the sound of a slap rang through her surroundings, and the whimpering became harsh, desperate sobs.

"And as for you," he continued, and the sound of footsteps began to get louder as Nikki heard him approach.

Despite the fact that her eyes were still closed tight, she could feel his presence, feel just how close he was. And then grabbing her under the chin just as he had back at her apartment, he roughly twisted her head to the side, leaning down close. She could feel his breath on her cheek, and smell the stale cigarette smoke as he laughed onto her skin.

"I have so many plans for you Nikki Alexander," he whispered in her ear, his grip tightening. "So many plans that are going to break you. Such a shame really, but it's your own fault. You know too much, and we can't have that now, can we?"

Pushing her away again, she heard him stand up and move away from her, opening a door and letting in the icy wind.

"I'll be back the normal time," he growled to no one in particular. "Don't miss me too much girls. Oh, and Jessica, make that one feel at home won't you. She's going to be joining us for a while."

Then the door slammed, a deafening silence settled around her, and slowly, cautiously, Nikki let her eyes flutter open in the darkness.


	43. Chapter 43  Open the Door

**You know how this bit starts... I'M SORRY! I really am useless at getting new chapters up at the minute. BUT, I managed to survive my 44 days of working in a row :D yey! So now only a week of overtime at my part time job, and then back to uni so I can hopefully write more then, in between writing my dissertation :)**

**THANK YOU to everyone who continues to read, and a massive thank you to Izzy, Terriah, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, pinkswallowsun, dinabar, and whoever reviewed but didn't leave a name. You are all AMAZING, and I really would have given up by now if it wasn't for all of you :)**

**Also, thank you to anyone who reviewed my one-shot 'A Rose By Any Other Name' :) still don't know where that one came from :p**

**Anyway, I'm going to go and pick up the remains of my sparkly butterflies that used to be pinned to my wall before my cat decided to destroy them today... haha. I promise to TRY and update quicker :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 43 – Open the Door

Leo could see Harry pace the room through the window of his office, and couldn't help but watch him. He had been pacing for the last ten minutes, only stopping to glare at the phone that was in his hand, before placing it back to his ear. It was obvious to Leo that if Nikki was going to pick up, she would have done so by now, yet Harry seemed adamant that he would continue to call until she picked up.

Unlike Harry, Leo wasn't worried that Nikki wasn't answering. It wouldn't be the first time that she had ignored him after an argument, and God only knows what he had said to her last night in the heat of the moment to deserve the silent treatment. Nikki was clever enough to know that it was Harry trying to call her from Leo's number, she seemed to know what he was going to do before he had even decided himself half the time.

He had sat with Nikki for over an hour the day before, after checking her over and taping the cut on the side of her head closed with the steri-strips from the first aid box. He'd been medically trained long enough to know that the injury was nothing serious, and was entirely superficial. Head wounds could look worse than they were, but once Leo had stopped the blood it was clear that Nikki would be completely fine. Despite this, he had made her sit in his office for an hour before he let her go home, just to make sure that there were no side effects, and making her promise that of she felt dizzy or nauseous, she would phone him immediately.

Eventually, Leo saw Harry throw his head back, running his hands through his hair, before slouching back across his desk and leaning his head in his hands. Why was it that every time Nikki was out of the office Harry couldn't seem to function? If it was just her day off, it was different. Like Harry had prepared himself for the fact that he would need to work alone, and made sure he kept himself busy. But when she was off and he wasn't expecting it, he seemed to wander round the lab like a lost puppy.

Sighing and shaking his head to himself, Leo opened his office door.

"Harry?"

"What?" Harry muttered to his desk.

Leo rolled his eyes, watching Harry and waiting for him to look in his direction. It didn't take long for Harry to realise that it was his boss standing over him, and turned his head to the side.

"Sorry."

"It's nearly twelve Harry. Go for lunch, take your mind off things for a while. Stop off at Nikki's if you want, check that she's ok. Maybe she won't ignore you if you're standing on her doorstep."

"Who said she's ignoring me?" Harry frowned. "Maybe I've already spoken to her."

"Yeah," Leo smirked. "And that's why you're still moping, and why my phone battery probably needs charged now."

"I said something last night. Something I didn't mean, but she believed me," Leo could see that Harry didn't really want to tell him this, and to be honest he was surprised that Harry was opening up to him at all. He'd been nearly silent since returning to work that morning. "She never believes my lies Leo, why did she believe that one?"

"Why did you lie?"

Leo tilted his head and could see Harry avoiding his eye contact.

"I had to," Harry whispered eventually. "I had to-"

"Look, Harry, you don't need to go through anything. Just go and see her, I could do with you out the office anyway. You're starting to depress me," Leo joked. "I want you back within the hour though."

"Thanks," Harry smiled, grabbing his coat and almost sprinting to the door.

"Harry!"

"Yeah?"

"My phone?" Leo smiled.

"Oh," Harry looked down at the phone in his hand, seeming surprised that it was there. "Yeah, sorry."

Harry threw the phone across the office for Leo to catch, disappearing through the glass doors by the time Leo had looked back up.

* * *

Harry smiled at the young woman he passed on the way into Nikki's apartment block who held the door open for him as he sprinted up the stairs through the rain. The warmth he met when he stepped inside was instant, and he shook his head to rid himself of the raindrops that hung off the end of his nose.

'Leo was right,' Harry thought to himself as he ran up the stairs to the first floor, and stopping outside Nikki's door. 'Nikki is fine. Perfectly fine. I just need to see for myself.'

Harry knocked on the door, stepping back and crossing his arms, preparing himself for the confrontation that could take place when Nikki opened the door. Even if she was to open the door, completely ignore him and shut the door in his face he would be happy. At least then he would know she was ok.

But there was no reply.

After rapping his knuckles on the door repeatedly, before giving up and hitting his fists against the surface, Harry leant his head on the door and sighed.

She wasn't going to answer.

Flicking through his key rings, Harry found Nikki's key and froze. Could he really just open her door when she could be inside? But surely she would have answered after he had practically knocked her door down, no matter how much they had argued the night before. If she hadn't answered, and she was inside, there was something wrong…

Pulling out his phone, Harry speed dialled Nikki's number one more time and listened as the call connected. The dial tone began. And Nikki's unmistakable ringtone sounded from the other side of the door. He had complained about her ringtone countless times, and he would recognise it any day…

Dropping his phone back in his pocket, Harry turned the key in the lock and slowly pushed open the door.

"Nikki, I'm coming in ok? If you're here and don't want to see me then tell me to piss off."

But again there was no reply.

Harry scanned Nikki's sitting room, feeling the panic and worry in his stomach intensify as he began to search her apartment. It wasn't long before Harry came to the conclusion that Nikki was not there, and yet he didn't know if this calmed him down or made him worry more. She wouldn't have gone and left her phone behind, would she?

Falling on to Nikki's sofa, Harry leant his head in his hands, noticing the books on Nikki's coffee table. There were a few of them, each open at a page with a diagram of a flower on it. The same flower, Harry noticed, that Nikki had been talking about the day before. She had obviously been looking through her own books before she had gone into work. Taking out his mobile again, Harry leant back on the sofa and hit his second speed dial number.

"Leo?" Harry stuttered as soon as his boss answered his phone. "Leo she's not here."

"Harry calm down, maybe she's still ignoring you," Leo said.

"No Leo, she's not here. I'm in her apartment now," Harry could feel his voice shaking. "I used the key she gave me, the one I keep with my keys after what happened the last time when I left it behind the ornament on the stairs. She told me to use it whenever I wanted, so I didn't see any problem in letting myself in when she didn't answer-"

"Harry, calm down ok? Is her car there?" Leo asked.

Harry opened his mouth to answer, before closing it again and narrowing his eyes.

"I- I don't know. I didn't check."

"Then why don't you have a look. Maybe she's gone shopping. It is her day off after all," Leo said calmly.

"But her phone is here," Harry stated, glancing to the front door and feeling his heart skip a beat. "And her shoes Leo. And her coat that she was wearing last night. I think it's still wet from the rain…"

"She could have forgotten to take her phone with her. Her coat was wet so she grabbed another one, and left her mobile in that coat. Think logically Harry, go and check the car park," Harry could imagine Leo rolling his eyes by this point.

"Ok," Harry sighed, rubbing his thumbs along his forehead. "You're right. If her car isn't there then she'll be out. I'll come back to the Lyell and check on her on my way home."

"Good," Leo said. "Stop worrying, Nikki's more than capable of looking after herself. I'll see you when you get back, Shaw's coming in to go over a few things on the case so he might be here by the time you get back."

"Great. See you later," Harry muttered, hanging up the phone before Leo could say anything else. "This day just keeps getting better."

* * *

"Professor Dalton," Shaw nodded to Leo as he opened the door to let the Detective into the office. "Good to see you again. You have a quiet office today."

"Lunch break," Leo smiled, gesturing to Shaw to sit at one of the free desks that already had the case notes sitting on top.

"I wish our office was like this," Shaw laughed. "Everyone's running round like headless chickens back at the station. Ever since Jessica Farrow went missing…"

"Understandable," Leo nodded, flicking open the file. "Have you got anything that could help you find her yet?"

"Nah, unfortunately not," Shaw shook his head. "And with Maddox out of the office a lot at the moment and giving orders when he's back everything can get a little confusing."

"I just hope we can sort this out before another innocent girl is murdered," Leo sighed, picking up the picture of Jessica. "She's so young."

"Seventeen," Shaw said, leaning over to look at the picture too. "What a waste. Farrow is inconsolable. Thinking the worst I'm afraid."

"We'll find her," Leo said, and yet it felt like a promise to himself. His daughter wouldn't be must younger than Jessica if she were still alive after all. He knew what it felt like to lose someone so special.

"I hope we do," Shaw agreed. "We can't let anyone else die."

After a few minutes of going through the evidence, the office doors flew open and a soggy Harry appeared, shaking his head as he did so.

"Shaw," he nodded in greeting at the sight of the Detective, and Leo was thankful that Harry seemed to be able to tolerate Shaw a little more than he had before.

"Dr Cunningham."

"It wasn't there then?" Leo asked, making sure that only Harry knew what they were talking about. He didn't really want to explain anything that had happened between his colleagues to the Detective.

"No," Harry shook his head, shrugging off his coat. "You were right. I'll check again later."

"Ok," Leo nodded, turning back to Shaw.

"So, have you found anything else?" Shaw asked, ignoring the interaction between the pathologists.

"Harry's been going over the Yates' case notes, and Nikki's been looking at the clothing from the victims," Leo stated, shuffling the notes on the table. "Everyone's determined to stop this guy before he can do any more damage."

"Flowers," Harry frowned, and Leo turned to stare at him.

"Excuse me Harry?"

"Flowers," Harry repeated, his mind obviously elsewhere. He opened his mouth to say something else, before closing it and grabbing his coat again.

"Where are you going this time?" Leo asked.

"I'll phone you," Harry shouted on his way out the office.

Leo rolled his eyes, turning back to Shaw.

"You get used to that," he laughed, yet couldn't help but worry as he watched the door swing closed.

* * *

Harry sat in his car at the garden centre with his head against the steering wheel and his eyes closed. He's spent the last half an hour talking to the woman who owned the place about the flower that Nikki had mentioned, trying to work out where they could be found, and yet he had found nothing new.

The woman, Jade, had only managed to agree with Nikki that Caltha palustus was in fact a Marsh Marigold that was found in wet woodland and marshes, and had told Harry a hundred times that they didn't actually sell them, but he could buy a wide selection of other plants if he was interested.

Which he wasn't.

Harry knew that the only reason he had gone to the garden centre was to be away from the office. Away from Shaw. Away from Leo even.

It was almost half three by the time Harry turned the key in his car to make his way back to the Lyell Centre. Driving down the familiar road to work, Harry soon found himself parking outside Nikki's apartment block again before he'd even realised he'd driven there instead of the Lyell.

He just wanted to check Nikki's apartment, make sure that she wasn't back yet. He would only be a few minutes, and then he would go back to work. After a quick check of the car park, and no sign of Nikki's car, Harry sprinted up the stairs again and paused at the door.

She had told him the password. He knew she had told him the password. And yet the more he looked at the keypad, the more the password escaped his mind.

Just as he was about to flick through the notes in his phone in the hope that he had left himself a memo, the door opened, and a small, elderly women stepped out, a scarf wrapped around her chin.

Harry stretched his hand out to catch the door and the woman smiled, before stopping, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh, it's Dr Cunningham," she beamed. She obviously noticed the confused look on Harry's face before she continued. "I'm Mary. Mary Craine. I live next door to your friend Nikki. I think I met you at Christmas last year."

"Mrs Craine," Harry smiled back. "Nice to see you again."

"Are you here to collect some things for Nikki?" Mary said quietly, placing her hand on Harry's arm and squeezing it slightly.

"Sorry?" Harry frowned. "Collecting some things?"

"Yes dear. It's just I haven't seen her come back, so I assumed they were keeping her in for a few days. You know, observations and all that."

"Observations?" Harry repeated again, his confusion evident.

"Well yes!" Mary said louder than before. "She didn't look well at all last night, and her friend said that he was going to take her to the hospital to be checked over."

"What friend?" Harry asked, his heart now hammering in his chest.

"The one that was carrying her down the stairs after she fainted," Mary said, her hands moving as she spoke. "You see, I was up later than usual, and then I thought I heard something so I opened the door to check that everything was ok, and then I saw your friends with Nikki. And I asked them what had happened, and the woman was very kind Harry. She told me that Nikki had hit her head at work so they were checking on her, and she fainted, so they were going to get her checked over properly at the hospital, just as a precaution."

Mary finished, taking a deep breath and smiling up at Harry.

"Oh Dr Cunningham, she'll be in the best hands. I'm sure all she needs is for you to take her a pair of slippers," Mary giggled. "Everything is better if you have your own slippers. Anyway, I better be going, I have to get Rory his paper for the day. I'll speak to you later, give Nikki my love won't you?"

And Mary shuffled away, tightening her scarf against the cold and leaving Harry staring after her as his heart thumped against his chest, threatening to explode.

"This can't be happening," Harry whispered to himself, his breath catching on each word and his hands shaking uncontrollably. "This can't be happening. Not now. Not to Nikki."


	44. Chapter 44  The Barn

**I think I'm getting worse at updating! I'm sorry! Blame the dissertation this time :p it really is evil!**

**To everyone who has the patience to still read this, THANK YOU. And a massive thank you to Izzy, EmmaJ1996, Starr123, Pinkswallowsun, dinabar, gem.S, Terriah, HNfan1992, Thyqua (both your reviews) and Vixi89 - you are seriously A-MAZ-ING!**

**Oh, and to everyone who reviewed my newest one shot 'Your Second Chance', thank you so much. Wasn't sure if I got Leo's character right :)**

**I'll try to update between dissertation :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 44 – The Barn

Nikki blinked, her eyes strained against the darkness as they began to adjust to the minimal light. Her head was pounding, and her limbs ached, yet as she slowly turned her head towards the sound of the distant sobbing, she could just make out the figure curled up on the hard ground, her knees tucked up tightly to her chest.

Feeling the energy begin to return slightly, Nikki stretched out her arms, before trying to push herself to a sitting position, her head protesting as she did so.

Yet as she moved to sit up, she found that she was unable to move her right hand, and glancing to the side she could see the heavy metal handcuff that was secured tightly round her wrist, securing her to a metal railing that ran the length of the wall.

Nikki sighed, feeling the tears spring to her eyes as she helplessly pulled against the handcuffs, the metal digging into her skin.

"Hi," the weak, unsure voice made Nikki freeze, before turning her head to meet the gaze of a young, blonde woman who was crouching down beside her. "Here, let me help."

Slowly, the woman leant over, as if unsure whether to touch Nikki or not, and helped her into a sitting position against the wall.

"The effects will ware off soon, promise," she smiled, and suddenly, as her eyes adjusted enough to make out her features, Nikki found herself looking at the same face she had seen in the photographs that lined her desk.

"Jessica?" her throat ached, her voice barely audible, yet the young woman nodded, placing her hand on Nikki's arm.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

Nikki could see a look in Jessica's eyes as she studied her, waiting for an answer. A desperate, determined look, with a flicker of hope.

"How did you know my name?"

"I work with your dad," Nikki smiled, feeling her voice grow stronger. "Well, I don't work _with _him as such, but we were working on the same case. I'm Nikki."

"So you're not a police officer?" Jessica frowned, sitting down in front of Nikki and crossing her legs.

"No. I'm a doctor…"

"Oh," Jessica looked down at the ground, pushing her finger through the gravel to form swirling patterns.

"Your dad is doing everything he can to look for you, you know that, don't you?" Nikki said, reaching out to comfort Jessica and forgetting that she was attached to the railing.

The sound of metal hitting off metal echoed through the room, and Nikki sighed, leaning her head back against the wall.

Jessica looked up at the sound, her eyes finding the source of the noise.

"I want to go home," she whispered, her eyes suddenly swimming with tears as her gaze found Nikki's. "I want to go home Nikki."

"I know," Nikki nodded, her head still spinning as she tried to come to terms with everything. It felt like only a few hours ago that she was curled up on Harry's sofa, waiting for him to come home, and now… now she might never see him again.

But she couldn't start thinking about things like that. Not yet. Not after only a few hours. If she broke down now, there was no way she was going to survive what was to come. And thinking about the case so far, she knew some of the things that had happened to other girls. Shaking her head to rid herself of thoughts concerning the case, she looked back at Jessica, who was properly crying now.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Jessica stuttered. "You've only just got here and already I'm moaning to you. I shouldn't- I shouldn't be so selfish, should I? I mean, I've only been here a couple of days, unlike Freya and Leanne, and- and Megan. They've been here much longer than I have, and he's- he's hurt them in ways that I can't even imagine. And even you-"

Jessica's eyes flew to Nikki's wrist again as her voice rose in pitch.

"Even you've been put through more than I have already! I've never been restricted, or starved, or anything like that. Why am I so different? Why do I have to sit and watch everyone else getting hurt? I feel so guilty Nikki, but at the same time I'm glad it's not me. I'm a horrible person! I haven't even given you time to come to terms with any of this!"

"Jessica," Nikki said firmly, taking her by the wrist with her free hand. "Jessica, stop and look at me, ok? You have nothing, _nothing _to feel guilty about, do you hear me? You have to stay strong until your dad finds you."

"But what if he doesn't?" her voice was small, weak.

"He will. I know he will," Nikki tried to smile, knowing that it didn't reach her eyes.

"But _why _am I treated so differently?" Jessica asked again, sniffing slightly. "Why do they let everyone else starve, and make me eat a full meal right in front of them? I know I've not been here long, only days, but all the other girls I've spoken to weren't treated like me!"

"I don't know," Nikki said honestly. "I really don't know Jessica, but all you have to focus on is staying alive. Ok? That's all you need to do."

Nikki sighed, leaning her head back again and closing her eyes. She had no idea how to deal with the young woman sitting in front of her. She couldn't give her the answers that she wanted. She couldn't tell her that everything was going to be ok, like she wanted her to. She'd only woken up a few minutes ago and hadn't even worked out where she was, never mind knowing everything that Jessica wanted to know.

"Jessica, be a doll and go check on Megan for me," Nikki's eyes flew open at the sound of the new voice, just in time to see Jessica nod, before standing and walking towards the other side of the room.

"She's like that every time they bring her back," the voice sighed, a slim blonde appearing from the darkness and leaning down towards her like Jessica had done.

Nikki automatically pulled her knees up to her chest, as if defending herself, and the woman laughed slightly.

"There's no need to be scared," she smiled. A warm, genuine smile that lit up her eyes even in the darkness. "I'm Freya. Been here sixty one days. That's what, two months? I've got used to most of this by now, but others-"

Freya looked towards the quiet sobs.

"It was her first experience today. The first time she was taken from the hut. She's a little upset by it all."

"Hut?" Nikki asked, glancing around at the dark walls. "Is that where we are?"

"Well, it's more like a large barn really," Freya explained, taking Jessica's place in front of her. "One door, locked from the outside. Gravelly ground, not the nicest to sleep on, just to warn you. There's a small window, but it's got plasticy glass in it which is scratched so much you can't see out of it even in daylight. Anything else you'd like to know before it gets lighter, because believe me, I think I've memorised just about every inch of this place by now?"

Freya smiled again, yet this time Nikki could see the strain in her eyes.

Suddenly, Nikki felt tears spring to her eyes as she glanced around her, and shivered in the cold, feeling the goose bumps across her skin.

"Hey," Freya whispered, moving to sit next to Nikki and wrapping an arm around her in comfort. "Hey don't worry. We'll look after you. We look after each other. Someone will find us, and before long we'll all be out of here."

"You really believe that?" Nikki asked, looking at the young woman sitting next to her. She had after all just told Jessica the same thing, yet she hadn't believed her own words. Not really. She knew that Jessica's dad would find her, but she wasn't convinced that it would be alive, as much as she hated herself for thinking it. How could she really think that everything was going to be ok after seeing the bodies of Ruby, and Rebecca and Lisa…

"I have to believe that," Freya sighed, leaning her head against Nikki's. "It's the only thing that's kept me going for the last sixty one days. We'll get out of here, don't worry. It may take another two months, but we'll all get out of here eventually."

* * *

"Leo, I need to see you in your office," Harry announced, leaving no room for arguments.

"I'll be right there," Leo nodded, flicking through the papers at the spare desk. "Shaw's not long left. Where the hell did you get to anyway? You weren't exactly clear earlier."

"Leo-"

The panic in Harry's voice made Leo look up immediately, and the look of worry on his face let him know that something wasn't right.

"Harry? What's wrong? Where did you go?"

"The garden centre," Harry said bluntly. "I'll explain that later. Leo I stopped off at Nikki's on the way home. I know you said to wait till later, but I met one of her neighbours. She's in trouble Leo. She's in danger."

"Harry, are you-"

"Yes I'm sure, before you ask me the bloody obvious question!" Harry spat, beginning to pace the office. "Her neighbour, she- she saw someone last night. Someone with Nikki. Two people actually. And they said they were going to the hospital, and- and-"

"Harry, stop a minute, ok? Have you checked the hospitals? Maybe they were just friends."

"And who would they be Leo?" Harry shouted, stopping dead in his tracks. "Who would they be? Who knows her as well as we do, to just stop off and check up on her? Who, apart from us, would know that she had been hurt at work? That _I _had done that to her."

Leo opened his mouth to reply, before closing it again and staring at the desk.

"Are you sure Harry?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm bloody sure!"

"Ok. Harry, ok. Will you just stop?" Leo stood from the desk and took Harry by the arm. "Go and phone Shaw. Ask him to come back."

"No," Harry shook his head determined. "No, I don't want him here. Not yet. We don't need their help yet."

"Yes, we do," Leo frowned. "If Nikki is involved with this case, then we know what can happen. We need to let them know as soon as possible."

"No, not yet," Harry shook his head, his eyes meeting Leo's. "I don't want them involved yet. We know just as much as they do, if not more."

"You can not let your petty arguments with Shaw-"

"This has nothing to do with that!" Harry roared, throwing his hands up and starting to pace again.

Leo watched him closely and could see the slight trembling of his hands.

"Harry, you don't need to prove anything. You know that, don't you?" Leo said quietly, and Harry stopped again, looking back at Leo. "Nikki knows how much you care about her. And she knows how short tempered you are. _If _something has happened, then we'll find her. But don't you dare think that _any _of this is your fault."

Harry stared at Leo, before sighing heavily and slumping at his desk.

"Can you phone Janet?" Harry muttered to the desk before looking up again right at Leo. "Please Leo. Can you ask Janet to come back in? Then we'll tell Shaw. After we've spoken to Janet."

"But-"

"Leo, _please_," Harry asked desperately. "I sent her away. I told her- I said things that I didn't mean. You heard some of the things I said to her yesterday. I have to make it up to her Leo, I need to make everything ok before it's too late. And I don't want Shaw involved, not yet. I _will _tell him, but I just want an hour or two to think about everything. To go through what we know before we tell the police."

There was silence between them as they stared at each other, until finally Leo slowly, reluctantly nodded his head and disappeared into his office, leaving Harry with his head in his hands.


	45. Chapter 45  A New Look

**I really should be writing more of my dissertation, but I needed a SW break :p haha. That's what I've been telling myself anyway :)**

**This one is more focused on the case than the characters, but it is needed, promise :)**

**THANK YOU to those reading, and a MAAAAASIVE thank you to Thyqua, EmmaJ1996, Terriah, pinkswallowsun, dinabar, gem.S and Izzy for the reviews. You really are amazing :D**

**I'll try to update sooner, but I have to do the end-to-end walk on Sunday. How did it get here so fast! Haha. I know it probably doesn't mean much, but I need to walk from the Northernmost point of the Island in Castletown, to the Western point in Peel. Then if your 21 or over you can walk to the very Southern point in Port Erin. I'm SO glad I'm not old enough to go all the way :p**

**Aaaanyway, here's the next chapter :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 45 – A New Look

"Janet, we need your help."

Janet smiled, stopping to lean against the wall in the busy corridor as officers walked past. Leo had arrived home later than usual the previous day, and after a little persuasion, had told her everything that had happened between Harry and Nikki in his office. Or as much as he knew anyway. Janet could tell that Leo worried about them, and had voiced his opinion on the two of them being 'together' on more than one occasion. But she also knew that he'd rather not get involved in their arguments or denial towards each other, and instead preferred to keep a safe distance, offering his support whenever it was needed.

"Leo, I told you last night. They're adults. Let them fight it out themselves, and just be there to pick up the pieces if-"

"Janet."

Janet stopped immediately, suddenly concerned at the tone of Leo's voice.

"Can you get to the Lyell today? Please."

"Leo of course. What's happened?" Janet could hear her own voice rise slightly.

"We- It's- The case has just got personal," Leo stuttered and Janet could tell he was choosing his words carefully.

"Leo?" Janet asked slowly, knowing he would b able to tell what she was asking from just his name.

Leo sighed heavily before continuing.

"It's Nikki."

Janet leant her head back on the wall, closing her eyes.

"You don't mean-"

"Yes," Leo said quietly, and Janet shook her head, glancing down the corridor to make sure that no one was watching her. But everyone seemed to be too busy to pay her any attention.

"You sure?" Janet asked hesitantly.

"Almost positive."

"How's Harry holding up so far?" Janet asked, knowing that Leo would be plagued with worry, but Harry… she'd seen Harry worried before, when Leo had been injured, and that was bad enough. She didn't know how he would be coping without Nikki. It had been the same when Leo had phoned and told her about Harry from Budapest. The first person she thought about when she heard the news was Nikki, and how she was going to carry on without him. They may not have given in to their feelings yet, but it was definitely obvious to everyone else how they felt about each other.

There was a slight pause and Janet could hear Leo's door closing.

"He's not. I've never seen him like this before," Leo explained. "Nikki's disappeared before, as you know, and we've known for a fact that she's been taken, but every time Harry has stayed focused and worked with the police to find her again."

"And this time?" Janet asked.

"This time he is adamant that the police aren't to be involved yet," Leo sighed. "He wants to speak to you first. But all we have to go on is the fact that her car is gone, her phone and bag are still in her apartment, and there is one elderly witness who thinks that everything the people with Nikki told her is the truth. We need the police involved, but Harry-"

Leo cut off, and Janet could tell that Leo was unsure what to do for the best.

"I'll be right there, ok?" Janet said soothingly. "I'm at the station now. I had to observe an interview for another case, but I'll leave right now and be there as soon as I can. We can all look through the evidence together and then take it from there."

"Thank you," Leo almost whispered and Janet could picture him with his head in his hands. "I love you."

"I love you too. See you soon."

Janet dropped her mobile back in her pocket and silently composed herself, before pushing off from the wall and making her way out the station. How did they manage to find themselves in these situations? She never considered pathology to be a particularly dangerous profession until she had met Leo, but the stories she had heard, and the events she had witnessed since had definitely changed her perspective in the job. Hospital basements, animal protestors, Budapest, Leo's 'accident'… and now this. They all knew about this case, and Janet was just praying that they had somehow got it wrong. That Nikki wasn't involved, that they were just over reacting and Nikki would walk back into the Lyell and ask what all the fuss was about… even Janet had trouble believing her own thoughts.

Stepping out the station, the cold wind brought her out of the diverted train of thought and she shivered, running down the stairs and trying to shelter at the side of the building as she searched her bag for her umbrella.

"You got a light?" Janet jumped, surprised at not being alone.

"Sorry," the officer continued, wrapping his long coat tighter against the cold. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, don't worry," Janet smiled. "I'm in a world of my own today. Sorry, I don't have one."

"No problem, thanks anyway," he smiled back. "I don't usually smoke to be honest, well, I haven't in years. But some cases are sent to test you I think. I probably shouldn't give in so easily."

Janet smiled, unsure what to say. She could tell that on a normal day, when her mind wasn't occupied by more important matters, she could quite easily have a conversation with this officer. And she could also tell that no matter what he said, he was definitely used to smoking. She didn't need to be a criminal profiler to see that the way he held the cigarette, and the yellowing of his teeth suggested he was used to smoking. Not that that mattered anyway, he seemed a genuinely nice guy, and was more than likely working on the same case as Leo, not that she could say anything to him. She knew that Harry didn't want anyone knowing yet.

"Sorry, look at me going on, you're probably in a hurry. Do you need an umbrella, there's a few at reception?" he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the station.

"You're alright," Janet smiled, pulling her own from her hand bag. "Thanks anyway."

"Bye," he smiled, pulling his silver lighter from his pocket and laughing. "It was here all along. It's going to be one of those days I think. See you around."

She knew she was right. Why would someone who hardly smoked have a silver cigarette lighter t=rather than a cheep throw away one from the garage? Some people were so easy to read. Janet waved, opening her umbrella against the rain and making her way to her car, battling against the wind. Leo was waiting for her, and thinking about this case, they were going to need all the time they could get.

It really was going to be one of those days.

* * *

"Thank you," Leo sighed as soon as Janet stepped through the door, pulling her into a tight hug. "I don't know what to do with him."

"He's in shock Leo, just give him time," Janet answered, and eventually Leo let her go from the hug, stepping back and seeming to compose himself.

"That's just it," he shook his head. "I don't know how much time we have. If Nikki is involved in this-"

"If, Leo. Just think about that for now, ok? _If _she is involved."

"She is," Harry said, appearing behind them from the kitchen, his firsts clenched tight. "I know she is. She's just disappeared, just like the others did. She's blonde, just like the others, she's attractive… she fits the description of every other victim we've had. You know what's going to happen as well as I do if we don't find her in time."

Leo opened his mouth, but found himself lost for words. He had always found it difficult to talk to Harry when he was like this. When Nikki wasn't around to help. When Harry was like this, it wasn't easy to get him to calm down and think straight.

"Well then, we better start looking through the evidence," Janet said, and Leo wanted to pull her in for another hug. She always seemed to know what to say, how to handle a situation. "We won't be too late Harry, we'll just need to work with what we have and we'll find her."

Janet paused, looking at Harry before she carefully continued.

"We will need to inform the police soon though Harry. You know we do. It doesn't mean that we stop looking for her, it just means that everyone is working with the same evidence."

Harry looked up and met Janet's eyes, slowly nodding his head in agreement.

"I know, but not yet," Harry said.

"Right," Janet sighed deeply. "Lets get started then. What have we got?"

Leo led Janet and Harry through to the large conference room, turning on the board at the front and quickly bringing up the images on the screen. He could see Harry tense as the images of the victims that were found faded onto the screen, and knew what kind of things he would be thinking.

"And you think that the other case, the Yates' case was it? You think that they are linked?" Janet asked as she slowly flicked trough one of the files.

"Nikki was adamant that they were," Harry nodded, turning his back on the screen. "Which reminds me, Leo I need to phone Julia. I was supposed to be meeting her tonight. I'll be back soon."

"Can't it wait Harry?"

"No."

Leo sighed as Harry quickly left the room, and his eyes soon found Janet's, silently asking her for help.

"He's never like this," Leo said quietly. "Nikki's gone missing before. She's been in hospital before. And he's always held it together. Always managed to stay focused on the case."

"But has he ever had evidence right in front of him of what could happen to her?" Janet asked, and Leo slumped into one of the chairs that circled the large table, shaking his head.

"He's blaming himself you know?" Leo muttered. "After their argument. Apparently Nikki went to see him and he turned her away. He said some things that he's not proud of, and that he's regretting now. Nikki forgave him, before I'd even finished taping together the cut on her head. She had forgiven him for everything he had said, everything he had done, and yet he seems incapable of forgiving himself."

"I know someone else who's like that," Janet smiled weakly, placing her hand on Leo's shoulder. "We'll find her Leo. We'll find all of them. All the girls that have gone missing, that are involved in this case."

"I know," Leo nodded. "But will we find them alive?"

"You can't think like that," Janet sighed, sitting down next to Leo. "Nikki's needs you to be strong. Harry needs you too. You can't let those thoughts take over, ok?"

"I know," Leo nodded, looking up at Janet again. "What would I do without you?"

"Probably live off ready meals for starters," Janet smiled. "Now come on, the evidence."

"Right," Leo nodded, picking up the nearest file. "We've already established that there are two killers, from the last time you looked through the evidence."

"We did," Janet agreed, as she stood up and made her way to the board at the front of the room and clicked on the 'Yates' tab, the images of Jennifer and Ray filling the screen. "And if these cases are linked, I think we should focus on these two victims too. They might give us the clue we're looking for."

"They were both found by a river, only meters apart," Leo explained. "Husband and wife. They'd both had the same meal a few hours before they died, and Jennifer was pregnant. Only in her first trimester, but the baby wasn't Ray's, her husband. The DNA matched the sample that we found on one of the girls, linking the cases together."

Janet nodded, tilting her head as she studied the images.

"Ray died from a stab wound to the heart, but he also had another stab wound on his chest and one on his back," Leo continued. "Jennifer died from massive blood loss due to the radial arteries on both wrists being severed. There was evidence that Ray had hit Jennifer before her death, but we don't know who died first. If Ray killed Jennifer, then someone else killed him, and vice versa. There was definitely someone else involved."

"And I think they were close to them," Janet frowned, causing Leo to spin round to look at the screen.

"What do you mean 'close' to them?"

"Well, if it's the same killers, or killer, I'm not sure that both of them were involved in this one, then they felt differently towards these two, look," Janet moved forward and arranged the screen so the image of Ruby Wilson and Jennifer Yates sat side by side. "Look at the differences. What's the first thing you notice?"

Leo frowned.

"That Jennifer is face down, and Ruby isn't?" Leo asked, feeling like he was pointing out the obvious.

"Exactly," Janet nodded, turning back to Leo. "But look at Jennifer's clothing. Her back is covered in mud, which suggests-"

"She was turned over," Leo finished, standing up and flicking through the images on the screen. "And it's the same for Ray."

"So why were they turned over, when the playing card victims were facing the other way? The killer didn't want to see their face. I think that they knew each other, the Yates' and the killer. And if these cases are linked, which is looking very likely with the DNA samples, I think that the killer is the accomplice for the playing card killer."

"Not the main murderer?" Leo asked, and Janet shook her head.

"No, this wasn't planned like the other killings. It's not as neat, it looks rushed," Janet explained.

Leo nodded, sitting down on the edge of the table and staring at the screen.

"We need to tell the police," Leo sighed, closing his eyes and knowing that Harry would disagree as soon as he voiced his thoughts. "I think we need to get Julia Lyons in for a formal questioning, to try and establish who Jennifer and Ray knew, and if they had any enemies. Anyone who could be involved in both cases."

"And Harry?" Janet asked cautiously. "How is he going to feel when you tell the police to question his girlfriend?"

"I don't know," Leo said truthfully. "But to be honest, I think he'll agree to it if it means it helps Nikki. I think he'll be willing to try anything."

Just as Leo turned the screen off again, Harry entered the conference room and threw his mobile across the table, before slumping down in one of the chairs and leaning his head in his hands.

"Anything?" he spoke to the table, and Leo and Janet exchanged a worried look.

"Yeah, I think we need to focus on the Yates' case," Leo said, and Harry instantly looked up. "We all know that they are linked, and Janet thinks that the murderer knew the Yates', going by the way the bodies were found."

"A week Leo," Harry shook his head, his voice quiet. "Two at the most. That's how long the victims had been missing before they were found. That's how long we have to find her, before she's-"

"Harry," Leo's voice was stern, adamant. "We will find her. We will. But-" Leo stopped and looked at Janet, who nodded her head reassuringly. "Harry, we need to speak to Julia. Properly I mean. We need to tell the police and get her in for a formal interview. I'm not saying that she has _anything _to do with it, I just think that if she was close to her sister, she might know someone who could have been involved."

"Whatever," Harry shrugged, placing his head back in his hands. "Go ahead, if you can get in contact with her. I've just tried ringing her about ten times, and phoned the vet surgery who said that she hadn't turned up today."

"So you agree, we need to tell the police now Harry? We need to let them interview Julia, and Nikki's neighbour. Maybe she can tell us something else that she saw," Leo asked gently, stepping towards Harry and sitting down next to him.

Harry nodded against his hands, not looking up.

"We need to tell them," he said quietly. "Before it's too late."


	46. Chapter 46  A Brief Explanation

**I survived! Haha :D And managed to get to Peel, so I'm pretty pleased :) Second quickest under 21 girl to get there, woo :) I've put a link on my profile if anyone is interested, showing how far it is :)**

**Aaaaaanyway, back to this :) I did want this up earlier, but dissertation got in the way again, and I had to finish writing this with a cat sat on one arm so it took a little longer than expected. And now it's half 1 again, which means I start work in 7 hours... fun.**

**But MASSIVE thank you to anyone reading, and a special thank you to EmmaJ1996, pinkswallowsun, Izzy, gem.S and dinabar for reviewing and making me smile. Lots :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 46 – A Brief Explanation

She could feel the warm breath on her neck, and the slight stubble against her cheek. The smell of his aftershave and the low chuckle that often escaped his lip were so close to her ear, causing a weak smile to grace her lips.

The sudden cold wind that ruffled her hair caused her to pull her knees up tight as she tucked her head in closer, trying to block out the reality that had come crashing down around her again, crushing the thoughts that she had just managed to lose herself in.

She knew it was stupid, childish even, and yet as she had her eyes closed tight, she tried to imagine herself somewhere else. Her apartment, the Lyell Centre, the pub, anywhere but the barn that she knew she was still in. Because maybe, if she didn't open her eyes to the reality, it didn't exist. Maybe she really was asleep in her bedroom, or on the sofa at work, and this was all just a twisted nightmare.

But she wasn't a child. And she wasn't naïve. She knew exactly where she was, and she knew that there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

"Eat," the voice was stern, yet Nikki was sure she could hear a slight tremble. "And make sure our newest does too. We don't want her to starve. Not yet anyway."

There was the sound of metal hitting the ground, and then the door closed again with a dull thud.

Slowly opening her eyes, Nikki blinked, taking in her surroundings in the semi-darkness. She wasn't sure if she had managed to get some sleep when she had closed her eyes, or if she had just taken herself to the one place she felt safe, with Harry, but she certainly didn't feel alert. Surely the effects of the chloroform would have worn off by now. She must have been daydreaming, tricking her body into thinking that she could actually fall asleep.

Pushing herself to a sitting position again, her wrist pulling against the handcuffs and cutting into her skin, she positioned herself against the wall and wrapped her arms around her trembling body. It was still freezing, and now that there was a little more light coming in through the scratched glass window, Nikki could make out the long room a little clearer. The railing that she was secured to ran the entire length of the back wall, with metal poles every meter or so running vertical to the ground, and it was one of these that she was attached to, meaning that she could lie down, but not move along the wall. On the other side of the room she could just make out the forms of the other women, each one curled up away from the side, close together, as if preserving some body heat.

Freya was the first of the forms to move, sitting up and stretching before moving towards the tray that had just been dropped by the door.

"Morning," she smiled weakly at Nikki, moving to sit cross legged in front of her again and holding out something that she had just picked up from the tray. "You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry," Nikki shook her head, not moving her arms from around her body.

"Yes you are, you're starving," Freya said, moving slightly closer. "You need to eat. It's only bread. It's only ever bread, unless they think that you're getting a little too close to starving, and then they might give you something else. But usually just bread. Not many of the girls last long enough to get to the starvation stage."

"But you did," Nikki stated, shivering slightly, which didn't go unnoticed.

"You're freezing too," Freya frowned, ignoring Nikki's words and leaning over to touch Nikki's bare arm.

"Yeah well, it is the middle of Winter, isn't it," Nikki mumbled, looking down at her knees. "I suppose I won't be here long anyway."

"And what makes you say that?" Freya scowled, looking almost angry. "You think that you have someone who cares about you more than we do? You think you have someone who's going to fight harder than the people who loves us, and get you rescued. Some of these girls have been here over a month!"

"That's not what I meant," Nikki said quietly, looking up at Freya, her eyes brimming with tears.

Freya's features suddenly changed as she understood what Nikki had meant.

"Oh Nikki, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. It's just, being in here for so long. You begin to wonder if anyone is actually looking for you, if they actually care," Freya explained, moving again to sit right next to Nikki, the bread still in her hand. "You're not going to die in here, ok? I'm not going to let them kill you here, none of us will. We look out for each other."

"What about Ruby," Nikki sniffed, turning to face Freya. "Did you manage to look after her? Did you manage to stop them from torturing her and killing her, leaving her abandoned for an innocent passer by to find. Did you save Rebecca, or Lisa, or Shara?"

"How do you know about-"

"Did you manage to look after the mother of a two year old little boy, who now has to grow up in the world without his mum, or didn't you even know that she had a son?"

Nikki couldn't help the tears that were now running freely down her cheeks as she looked right into the eyes of the woman sitting next to her. She wasn't even sure where the words had come from, and she was beginning to feel guilty already.

"You don't get it," she said quietly, tucking her knees up tighter."I've seen exactly what happens when they get fed up of you, when they want to dispose of you. I've seen the damage they do and the people that each of his victims leaves behind."

Freya stared at Nikki for a few moments, before standing up and dropping the bread down beside her.

"No, _you_ don't get it," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "If we don't look out for each other, then there's no one. We have no one. It doesn't matter how long you're here for, the only thing we try to do is look after one another, because we have no one else to do it for us. We've all left people behind that we care about, but we can't sit and cry for them, because if you do, then you'll never last.

"Some girls can't handle it from the very second they get taken. Leanne being one of them," Freya looked over towards the other side of the room again where the other woman had began to sit up, still huddled together. "And she won't mind me saying it, because we're the ones that comfort her every time they bring her back from one of their disgusting 'clients.' But Shara, she was different. We could tell she was different from the moment she got here, and sure enough, as soon as she got the chance, she tried to escape. She tried to get back to her little boy, tried to save herself instead of waiting for someone to find her. She just couldn't run quick enough. And that's why she was never brought back. I suppose you're her replacement."

Nikki tried to breath steadily, yet she knew that it was obvious she was trying to hold back the tears.

"And what about you?" Nikki frowned. "Who's looking after you, why haven't you tried to run by now? All the girls we've found so far were only missing a maximum of two weeks, but you, you've been here how long? Two months now isn't it?"

Freya turned towards the others and picked up the tray from by the door.

"Jess."

Jessica stood up and tentatively moved towards Nikki and Freya, taking the tray as it was offered to her.

"I want you to make sure that they all eat something, ok?" she said, smiling at the young woman and dropping her voice to no more than a whisper. "Megan might need some coaxing after last night, and Leanne's been quiet lately. Try and talk to her a little. I think everyone else is ok for now, but just check with Holly, I know they brought her back early this morning. She's usually a little stronger than Megan, but she might need some comforting. I suppose they'll be here soon for you, but remember, stay strong. There's a good girl."

Jessica nodded, before smiling at Nikki and walking towards the other girls again.

Freya sighed heavily, sitting down next to Nikki again and raising her eyebrows.

"I'm not going to get into an argument with you Nikki," she said calmly. "It's not worth it, because like it or not, we're all you have at the minute, and we _do _look out for each other when we're here. But as soon as they take one of us from here, there's nothing you can do about it but hope that they bring them back."

"I'm sorry," Nikki whispered, turning slightly to look at Freya. "I didn't mean to- I mean, I don't know what I'm thinking at the minute. I don't know _how _to think."

"Don't worry, everyone's the same when they first get here. You're holding up pretty well so far actually. Some of the other girls, you can't get a coherent sentence out of them for days. Some go into complete denial until they're taken for a client, and then come back even more broken than they were to start, and some are just hysterical."

Nikki rested her head on her knees, sighing as she did so. Her head was still pounding, and as she reached up to the source of the headache she felt the rough steri-strips across her skin that she had forgotten about.

"So you were working on a case involving Shara then?" Freya questioned. "And Ruby, and Rebecca and Lisa?"

Nikki nodded her head but didn't look up. Her head felt heavy and her throat dry, but she didn't think she would be able to eat anything without throwing up.

"So you know what happens when they take us from here. You know about the clients and what they make us do?"

Nikki nodded again.

"But that means that maybe, now that you've gone missing, they'll be looking for you. You're colleagues, and the police and you're boyfriend or husband…"

"Yeah, maybe," Nikki mumbled, still not looking up. "Just like your family is looking for you, and Jessica's family is looking for her, and Megan's-"

"I just meant that they might be able to get some clues or something," Freya sighed. "Come on, even a small spark of hope in here is like a bloody big ray of hope for us."

"Sorry," Nikki muttered again, feeling the tears continue to run down her cheeks and onto her knees. "But there's no one looking for me that can help more than the police, who have been looking for all of you since you went missing. I don't have a husband, or a boyfriend, or a family that'll be worried about where I am. And my colleagues are already looking for you all. They probably don't even know I'm gone yet. We had a bit of an argument-" Nikki reached up to the cut on her head again. "They probably think that I'm just ignoring them for a few days."

The door suddenly blew open again, and the silhouette of a woman was just visible in the doorway when Nikki looked up.

"Jessica," she spoke steadily, and Nikki could see Jessica slowly stand up, visibly shaking as she made her way towards the door. Freya reached up and took her by the hand as she passed, squeezing it tight.

"Remember," she whispered. "Be strong. I'll see you when you get back."

Jessica nodded, before disappearing through the door, and it shut again.

"What happens when they take her?" Nikki asked, watching the closed door as if it would open again for them all to escape. "I'm assuming it's not the same as with everyone else if it happens a lot. She said something yesterday-"

"They make her eat," Freya said simply. "They make sure that she's healthy. She's not been here long, but you can tell that they have a special plan for her. I just don't have the heart to tell her what it is."

"You know?" Nikki asked curiously.

"I have a fair idea, yes," Freya nodded. "She's not like the rest of us. She's 'pure', untouched. You know, before she came in here. She's never had a boyfriend, never _been _with anyone. It makes her special to them, and deserving of a _special _client. I think they're just keeping her healthy for him, so she doesn't disappoint."

"That's vile," Nikki shuddered. "And they think that she's just going to willingly-"

"Willingly," Freya laughed. "You think that we willingly agree to this every time. No, most of the time the girls are drugged up to their eyeballs and have no idea what's going on. It's basically planned rape, and mainly for the lower clients. Then, once they realise that if they don't 'perform' they'll be killed, well, the drugs are reduced slightly. They're basically forced into prostitution. The only problem is, with Jessica, I don't think there will be a next time. Once she's used, she's no longer special, is she?"

"You think they'll kill her?" Nikki asked, but she could see the answer in Freya's eyes. How could they just use them like objects, discarding them when they've had enough of using them?

"I think that he'll bring her back here first, leave it a couple of days like he did with the others, apart from Shara obviously, then yes, I think he'll kill her."

Nikki shuddered again, wrapping her arms even tighter around her body.

"You talk about the other girls as if they're different to you," Nikki pointed out, and Freya smiled slightly.

"They are different to me," she stated. "They've all been forced into a life that they'd never even dreamt of."

"And you?"

"And me," Freya smiled. "I was one of their first to take, back when they started out. They've not been doing this that long you know, so I think I was the tester. To see if they could manage it. I was working on a street corner at the time when the car stopped, and I obligingly got in. Before I was brought here. Since then they've been a little more adventurous in their selection process. So you see Nikki, that's why I can cope better than most of the others. Because I wasn't forced into anything that was particularly new to me. I wasn't taken from the people that love me. And that's probably the reason I've survived this long, because I can satisfy the clients, and teach the other girls how to cope with being here."

There was silence between them as Nikki seemed to take in the information, and when she looked up she was sure she could see signs of tears in Freya's eyes.

"That doesn't change anything you know," Nikki said reassuringly, reaching out to take Freya's hand and hearing the metal of the handcuffs knock against the pole again. "You're still just as innocent as any one of us here, and you need to remember that. We'll _all _get out of here, ok? We'll all look after each other."

Freya smiled, nodding her head.

"Thank you," she smiled, taking a bite of her bread and motioning for Nikki to do the same, and yet just the thought of food made her stomach churn.

"And these people, do you know them?" Nikki asked cautiously. "Do you know their names?"

Freya shook her head, sighing slightly.

"No," she said, looking towards the other girls. "The woman is blonde, quite tall. We see her a lot. She comes in here nearly every day. The man we don't see so often, and when he's here we can never see his face. He has his hood up all the time. The only thing I know about him is that he stinks of smoke, and that he's a terrible driver."

Nikki nodded as if processing the information. Although she knew exactly who these people were, she didn't want anyone else knowing. She didn't want any of them to be in danger if they did, by some miracle, manage to escape before they were found. Because it would be their word against his, and Nikki knew just how persuasive he could be. They wouldn't stand a chance.

"Anyway," Freya said, obviously trying to sound cheerful. "Will you _please _eat something? I don't want another one fainting on me before the end of their first week. I'll try to find something to keep you warm, and get the other girls to come and introduce themselves. It might take their mind off things for a while. You'll be ok Nikki, trust me. We'll all be ok."

But as Freya disappeared to the other end of the room, Nikki couldn't help feeling that no matter how much she liked Freya, there was no way that she could trust her that things were going to be ok.

How could they be when he was involved in all of this?


	47. Chapter 47  Torture

**:O How did I leave it so long again! I'm sorry! I had a SW writing day to catch up again, even though I should have been doing my dissertation :p**

**THANK YOU so much to everyone who has stuck by this even though it's so slow in the updates! And a massive THANK YOU to EmmaJ1996, Izzy, gem.S, Thyqua, pinkswallowsun, dinabar and Emilybubblestoby for your amazing reviews. You won't believe how much it means, and you really are the reason this is still going :) even though it's slow :(**

**I found a one shot that I'd written a while ago that I might upload to apologise for such a long wait, but I'm not sure I like it enough yet :s  
And got a short multi-chapter for Halloween nearly finished... I think.**

**Anyway, next chapter :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 47 – Torture

"Harry?"

Leo was worried. Yes, he was worried about Nikki, about what might be happening to her, but as he watched his younger colleague sitting at his desk, he couldn't help but worry about him just as much. He was sitting right in front of him, and yet he couldn't work out what torture he was putting himself through. He knew that Harry just wanted to get out the office and look for Nikki, but they hadn't a clue where to start. The police had been looking for the missing girls for weeks, and now they had to add a name to that list. Leo could see that it was tearing Harry apart, even if he didn't say as much.

He was quiet. And when Harry was quiet, then it was time to worry. When he was shouting and yelling and storming through the office, Leo knew that he would eventually cool off again. But when he was quiet, he was bottling it up. Which meant that it was only a matter of time before he exploded. And without Nikki there to calm him down again, there was no saying how much of the office he would smash up in his rage.

"Harry?"

He was in a world of his own, Leo could tell. He just sat at his desk, staring at the surface and drumming his fingers along the side.

Leo sighed, turning to face Janet who gave him a sympathetic smile as she ended her call and placed her mobile back in her pocket.

"You want me to stay?" she asked, and nodded to her phone. "I can call back, tell them that I'm busy."

"No, you're ok," Leo shook his head. "You go. We'll be fine."

Janet paused, watching him closely.

"This is far from over, isn't it?" Leo asked reluctantly, running his hand through his hair. "He's not finished on his killing spree."

Janet closed her eyes briefly and sighed.

"Serial killers don't stop. They can't stop, not ever," she shook her head. "But that doesn't mean that we can't find him before he does kill again, does it?"

Leo nodded slowly, knowing that Janet was right but finding it hard to believe her words.

"Ring me if you need anything," she said seriously, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Anything at all."

"I need Nikki back and for everything to go back to normal," Leo said quietly, and Janet stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You can get through this," she said softly. "All of you. All three of you. You'll find her Leo, don't give up hope."

"Hope's the only thing we have left," Leo said, kissing Janet on the cheek and stepping back. "It's the only thing that's keeping us together."

Janet gave him a weak smile, kissed him again and left the office. Leo glanced over at Harry who hadn't moved and was still drumming his fingers along the table.

"Harry," he spoke again, walking over to his desk and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think we should ring them now, don't you?"

Harry shook his head, not looking up.

"Harry, we agreed-"

"I've phoned them," Harry interrupted. "Shaw's on his way. How am I supposed to- why is this- why am I so worried about her now Leo? She's gone missing before. Christ Leo she's found herself in more dangerous situations than anyone I've ever known, and yet every time I've managed to keep everything together. But this time…"

Harry frowned, looking up at Leo questioningly.

"This time I feel like I'm falling apart."

Leo squeezed Harry's shoulder and moved around to Nikki's desk so that he was facing Harry. He knew why he was feeling so differently of course, but he didn't know how to explain it to Harry. It wasn't just that this time they knew exactly what the killers were capable of, the fact that they had so many woman to witness the brutality of the murderers. It wasn't just that Harry had said things, did things, that he was now regretting and hadn't had the chance to apologise for before Nikki had disappeared. It was also to do with Hungary.

Everything still seemed to go back to that bloody place.

Harry and Nikki had seemed different together when they got back. Closer somehow, and yet at the same time further apart. It's like they both realised just how close they had come to losing each other, and yet the overwhelming want to tell the other how they felt was keeping them apart just that little bit too much. All they needed was a shove in the right direction. And they were getting so close.

Until the Yates' case. Until Julia had come on the scene. Until Harry had lashed out at the one person who was trying so hard to get close to him more than ever before.

And that was why Harry was hurting so much now. Why he was more worried than he had ever been. Because he knew what he had put her through in Budapest. He knew that he felt something towards her that he had been trying to hide for so long. And now, now their second chance might just have been taken away from them before he could act on it.

"Harry-" Leo started, but the sudden buzzing at the door made them both glance across the office, and Leo heard Harry sigh.

"Shaw's here," he said, leaning his head in his hands again.

"Just let me talk to him, ok?" Leo said, making his way to the door and letting the detective enter.

* * *

"So, what's with all the rush," Shaw smiled, leaning against the side of the table and looking between Harry and Leo. "It's nearly the end of the day for your lot isn't it? Have you found some new evidence that will help us catch this psycho?"

"Not exactly," Leo shook his head, not knowing how to begin. "We've- I mean, Nikki has- well-"

"She's missing," Harry finished, looking up at Shaw. "She's become involved in all this mess and we don't know where she is."

"You mean, you think she's- she's been taken. By the same guy?" Shaw asked, a shocked expression covering his features. "You think she's become one of his 'blondes'?"

"I know she has," Harry nodded, turning back to his desk.

"Shit," Shaw said quietly, running a hand along his chin. "Shit. When?"

"Last night," Leo stated. "Maybe early hours of this morning, I'm not sure what time-"

"It was after midnight," Harry interrupted, still not looking over at them. "So early this morning. There was an eye witness that saw two people with Nikki, a man and a woman, but I don't know how much use she'll be. I'm surprised if she can even remember what day of the week it is, never mind what the guy looked like, but it's a start I suppose."

"Right," Shaw nodded slowly, grabbing his phone from his pocket. "Right ok. I'll get an officer round to Nikki's apartment to check for prints and ask around. We'll try to get as much information as we can from her neighbour. Harry, could you write down her apartment number and that of her neighbour so we can pass the information on?"

Harry nodded and tore a post-it note off the top of the pad, scribbling down the numbers.

"I'll give you a key to Nikki's," Harry said, handing over the note. "She'll kill me if I let you knock her door down."

Harry smiled, and then seemed to realise what he had said and turned away from Shaw again, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears he could feel threatening to escape.

"Thanks," Shaw said, folding the note and placing it in his pocket. "I was going to ask her out for a drink tonight," he sighed, pushing himself off from the table.

Harry looked round again at his words, feeling something stir in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't surprised really. They had been getting close lately, Shaw and Nikki. But now, just the thought of someone else wanting to spend time with her caused an unprecedented jealousy to fill his body, stronger than ever before.

"I'll ring them now," Shaw said, making his way back out of the office. "By the time I get back to the station we'll have a team at the apartment and the eye witness in for questioning. Ring me if you hear anything else."

"Will do," Leo nodded. "Let us know too will you, if you find anything?"

"Yeah yeah," Shaw waved, placing the phone to his ear and disappearing completely, leaving Harry and Leo staring at the door.

"Now what?" Harry asked, looking at Leo, wanting Leo to tell him all the answers. How to get Nikki back where she belonged.

But Leo just shrugged, looking Harry right in the eyes.

"Now we do anything we can."

* * *

It was dark again.

Nikki could feel the goose bumps cover her bare skin despite the thin blanket that Freya had thrown over her shoulders, and the hard metal handcuff cut into her skin when she tried to move her arm to better position herself.

Freya was now sitting beside Nikki, talking casually to Jessica and Megan, who seemed to be hanging on her every word. The other girls, Leanne and Holly, were still at the other side of the room, huddled together and talking among themselves quietly.

But Nikki wasn't paying them any attention. Her mind kept wandering to places she'd much rather be, and it didn't take her long to work out that there was one person common in every place she let her mind wander. Which just seemed to make it even harder.

Because that one person didn't want her. He had told her so himself, and yet she seemed incapable of going more than a few minutes without thinking about him.

It must have been late now. Even with the dark winter weather Nikki could tell it was getting late. Harry and Leo would be at home by now. Any police searches would be practically over for the day. The police had no idea where they were all being held, and so there would be no point in them looking at this time.

A sickening thought suddenly entered Nikki's mind, making her dizzy. Harry was probably out with Julia. Probably hadn't even noticed she had gone, just assuming that she had taken the day off work. That was unless-

The door suddenly swung open and two figures were just visible at the entrance. Freya and Jessica both moved back closer to Nikki, and she was sure she could hear a shriek from the other end of the room.

"Megan," he almost sang. "You're turn my little angel."

The hysterical sobs started instantly as Megan scrambled to the side of the room, tucking her knees up tight and grabbing Nikki's hand.

"No, please no," she cried. "I don't want to. I don't want to go-"

But he reached over, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to her feet as she desperately clung to Nikki's hand.

"Megan-" Nikki tried to hold on as tight she could, yet she felt her hand slip out from beneath hers.

"No!" Megan kicked out, making contact with his shin. "I won't go, don't make me go!"

"Megan listen to me," Freya was shouting over the sound of her screams. "Listen, you have to. You have to do this ok? Everything is going to be ok."

"No!" Megan screamed again. "I won't."

She lashed out again, her fist hitting him in the side of the head, and he suddenly dropped her on to her back, placing his foot on her chest.

"Get off her," Freya shouted, getting to her feet and trying to push him away, but the woman grabbed her and pulled her to the side where she continued to struggle.

"Fine," he spoke slowly, grinning at Nikki before pushing his foot down a little harder.

"She can't breath!" Nikki shouted, trying to reach Megan, but her wrist was still securely held to the railing. "You're killing her!"

"Well noticed," he laughed, standing on her even harder until a sickening crack echoed through the room, followed by a heart wrenching scream.

"I've told you before," he grinned, taking his foot away and leaning down to look at Megan as she gasped for air. "If you don't play by the rules, you get disqualified."

Then with one hand he grabbed her by the throat, while with the other he pulled out a thin needle from his pocket.

"This ought to be enough to sedate her, don't you think?" he smiled, turning towards the woman who still had a hold of Freya who was now on her knees.

Nikki was frozen. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't help but watch as he stuck the needle in Megan's left arm and her body instantly relaxed.

"Now, do you think the others should watch this time?" he chuckled, and the woman's manic laugh accompanied his own.

Stepping over Freya's body, he took a small blade from his pocket and turned it over in his hands, watching Nikki as he did so.

"You know what happens now, don't you doctor," he smiled, crouching down and letting the knife hover over Megan.

"Don't," Nikki spoke quietly, hearing the words catch in her throat. "Please don't."

But he just smiled, placing the point of the blade on Megan's abdomen in the same place the wound had been on the other girls and pressing down slowly, letting the blood slowly trickle down her body. The pain in Megan's eyes was unbearable, but no matter how hard she tried, Nikki couldn't get to her. Couldn't get him to stop. Couldn't hold her hand as he tortured her.

And then just as slowly he took the blade away and the blood began to soak her shirt, dripping to the hard ground below.

"Such a shame," he sneered, leaning in close to Megan. "Another one of my angels has fallen. And I thought you had such potential."

Standing up and wrapping the knife in a cloth handkerchief, he placed it back in his pocket and turned towards the woman who was now standing behind Freya as she cried in to her hands.

"Get her cleaned before she bleeds to death," he spoke casually, stepping over Megan. "Make sure you don't mess it up this time. I want absolutely no traces on that one. And I know just where we'll leave her this time."

He crouched down by Nikki this time, grabbing her by the chin so that she had to look him straight in the eyes.

"I think we'll let your little friends see just what to expect, don't you? Because you'll be next Doctor Alexander. And next time I won't be so quick. I want to enjoy watching the life drain from your eyes, second by second. So until next time."

He tilted his head at her, before walking towards Freya and taking her by the arm.

"I'll just need to use you instead," he said, pushing her roughly out the door.

"He's so much fun, isn't he," the woman smiled, making her way to Nikki once he had gone completely. "I just hope he lets me watch you die too."

"Why are you doing this?" Nikki asked, her voice small and weak, her eyes still focused on Megan whose breathing was shallow.

"You'd never understand," she shook her head. "Never. I might try explain some of it to you before you die. If he lets me. Maybe that could be my gift for helping him for so long. Maybe he'll let me have half an hour to- talk- to you before he kills you. Don't worry though Nikki. Harry will be able to see exactly what happened to you in your final hours when he finds your body. I'm sure he'll be pleased to see that he spent longer torturing you than he did the other girls. You're one of his 'special' little angels."

And she laughed again, taking Megan under the arms and dragging her out the door.

"Night," she smiled, looking at each of the girls in turn and slamming the door shut, leaving Nikki alone with the quiet sobs coming from each of the girls at the other end of the room.

Trembling, Nikki lay down on the hard ground and wrapping the thin blanket around her shoulders as tight as she could as the salty tears ran down her cheeks.

She didn't know where she was or how long she was going to be here. She didn't know where they had taken Freya or where they were going to leave Megan. She didn't even know if Harry had noticed she had gone missing yet.

But she did know one thing for sure. That no matter what Harry was doing tonight, it wouldn't be with Julia.

Because Julia Lyons would be too busy trying to wash Megan's blood off her hands.

* * *

**Yeah, you clever people worked out who it was ages ago :)**

**I've actually started to hate her myself now, even though I made her that way :p haha**

**xXx**


	48. Chapter 48  Taunting

**I don't like this chapter, but it needed to be there for the next one. I think :p**

**And even though I've been saying it for the last 40 chapters, this is going to move on quickly very soon :) Just the next chapter, a Julia chapter, and then it will change again. Fingers crossed!**

**But if anyone feels like this is going too slow, or is getting boring, please let me know :)**

**THANK YOU to everyone putting up with my slow updates, and to Thyqua, Lizziginne, dinabar, EmmaJ1996, Izzy, pinkswallowsun, Terriah and Starr123 for reviewing the last chapter :) You are amazingly brilliant :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 48 – Taunting

For the first time since he started working as a pathologist, Harry Cunningham had spent the entire night at the Lyell Centre, either at his computer, or leaning over one of the large books that now sat on the empty desk in the office. Not that it had done him any good.

He didn't know how Nikki did it. How she could spend all night investigating a case, and still appear more awake than he was in the morning. Too many times had he got to work to find her asleep on the sofa in Leo's room, or at her desk, or on the sofa in the reception area. Too many times he had left her at work alone, knowing that she wouldn't make it home to bed. And yet he left her anyway.

But not this time. This time there was no way he was leaving her on her own. There was no way he was giving up on her.

He had managed to grab a couple of restless hours of sleep, and even then it hadn't helped any. He was no closer to new information than he had been before Leo had reluctantly left him to go home, and he was fast running out of new ideas.

Harry was leaning on one hand, his eyes fixed to a page of Nikki's scribbled notes, when the phone on his desk rang, ripping him from his day dream.

"Pathology," he spoke, his voice monotone.

"Harry, its Leo. Why aren't you picking up your mobile?"

"It's dead I guess," Harry said, before sighing loudly and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, cursing himself at his choice of words. "It's flat. Out of battery."

There was silence between them, and Leo seemed to understand what Harry would be thinking.

"What are you doing at work so early?" Leo asked, but Harry didn't answer. He hadn't realised the time, and yet he knew that Leo would work it out without him saying anything. "You didn't leave, did you?"

"No."

This time it was Leo's turn to sigh.

"Look Harry, I'm going to be in slightly late, I have to stop at the coroner's office to sign off a few papers. But as soon as I'm in, you're going home. I can tell you've hardly slept," Leo's voice held no room for argument, but Harry tried nonetheless.

"No, I'm no use at home. I need to be here. I need to be busy," Harry said quickly. "See you when you get here. I'll phone if I find anything."

Harry hung up before Leo could retaliate, taking his mobile from his pocket and searching his desk drawer for his charger. Almost as soon as it had enough power to turn on, his mobile began to ring and Harry rolled his eyes at the caller ID.

"Shaw."

"Dr Cunningham," Shaw replied casually. "I was just wondering if you were in the office. It's just, I was going to stop by and go over a few things, but the front door is locked."

"Yeah, it will be," Harry rubbed his eyes again, wanting nothing more than to hang up on the detective. "It's too early for the front doors to be open, we use the back entrance at this time. If you want to talk about something I can meet you in the car park?"

"Great," Shaw said simply. "It'll only take a minute. I just wanted to check a few details. I'll start walking to the back entrance now and meet you half way."

Harry hung up again and grabbed his phone from the charger, hoping it had enough power to last the conversation with Shaw before he got back to the office. He could feel his eyes were heavy now that he had dragged himself away from the computer screen, and really did hope that Shaw would disappear quickly. He didn't care if Nikki had liked him or not, he was just as big-headed as every other detective he had to work with.

The back door to the Lyell Centre was one that Harry rarely used in all honestly. It was only really when he was on call and had to bring a body in did he use it, rather than using the main entrance. But at this time in the morning, it was too early for the receptionists to look after the entrance.

As soon as Harry opened the back door to the Lyell Centre, the cold wind knocking him in the chest, the blood was visible. The crimson red blood that painted the ground, and just to his left, the pale skin and blonde hair of another victim, her head handing down limply and her hair covering her face.

Harry froze, panic instantly taking over and squeezing his body, making it almost impossible to think properly. To breath.

Stepping out the door and slowly shutting it behind him, Harry moved away from the body, his hands visibly shaking and his breathing rapid.

This couldn't be happening. Not again. Not now. Harry tried to think, to focus, and yet the only thing that flashed through his mind was the terrible thoughts that he had spent all night trying to run from.

'It isn't her,' Harry thought to himself desperately. 'It isn't her. It can't be. I'd be able to tell, I know it's not her.'

But no matter what he told himself, Harry couldn't get any closer to the body. Couldn't bring himself to move back her hair.

"Dr Cunningham, there you are," Shaw's voice sounded from behind him. "I thought you were going to the- oh shit."

Harry turned to face Shaw, who had obviously noticed the blood at Harry's feet that he had carefully stepped over.

"Is that- that's not-"

"No," Harry said quietly, slowly shaking his head, knowing that the same thoughts had entered Shaw's mind. "No, it's not. But it's another one. It's another sign, another taunt. We're running out of time."

Harry turned away from Shaw and rested his head against the cold metal of the door. Even without looking at the victim he could tell that this one was different somehow. Yes it was definitely another one connected to the playing cards, connected to Nikki somehow, but this one had been left for one of them to find. The blonde hair, the slim frame, everything was so identical to the other cases. Apart from the amount of blood. Harry had noticed almost as soon as he had stepped out the door. There was blood of course, soaking the woman on the same side of her body as the others, and her hands were clean, but there wasn't near as much as at the other scenes. Taking out his mobile once again, Harry speed dialled Leo's number.

He couldn't look at her. Couldn't face the lifeless blonde that was slumped against the side of the building. The killer was twisted, that much he had known for a long time, but this… this had been done for Harry and Leo's benefit. A warning, a promise of what was to come next. And Harry didn't know how to stop it. He didn't know how to save her.

And it was tearing him apart.

"Shaw, can you ring for a SOCO team please," he spoke more to himself than the detective, as the line connected and Leo's concerned voice reached Harry. "Leo, we need you back at the office as soon as you can."

* * *

The weak sun had forced its way through the rain clouds by the time the door opened again and Freya was roughly thrown into the barn, landing heavy on her knees and shivering violently.

Nikki immediately shrugged the blanket from her shoulders and moved as close as the handcuffs would let her, throwing it over Freya and placing her hand on hers.

"Freya," she spoke slowly, noticing the tears running down her cheeks.

But Freya pulled her hand away and tucked her knees up to her chest, resting her head on top. This worried Nikki, more than she would have expected. From the minute she had woken up in the barn Freya had seemed the one that was holding everything together, and yet now, now she was falling apart, just like the other girls.

"Hey," Jessica appeared from the other end of the barn, draping her arm over Freya's shoulders. "Hey come on, what is it you always tell the girls? We have to stay strong. We can get through this."

But Freya just shook her head, her eyes flying up to meet Nikki's, and Nikki was surprised to see them dark and narrowed, holding resentment that she had never seen before.

"Now do you understand?" she shot at Nikki, who moved further back to the wall again, leaning against the cold surface. "Now do you understand what we have to go through? How no matter how much we look out for each other, sometimes it's just not enough?"

"I-Freya I knew just as well as you did what he was going to do-" Nikki tried, but Freya cut in, her eyes wild.

"No you didn't!" she shouted, moving so that she was kneeling right in front of Nikki. "No you didn't."

Her voice was suddenly softer, her eyes almost pleading with Nikki.

"I knew that the girls were killed, when they disappeared. I knew that even before you got here. But I'd never- we had never-"

Nikki suddenly realised what Freya was trying to say and tried to reach out for her hand again. This time she didn't pull away.

"All the other girls, they were killed where he left them," Nikki said gently, watching Freya for a reaction. "He had never stabbed anyone in front of you like he did last night, never hurt them like that with you watching, had he?"

"No," Freya shook her head. "Never."

Nikki closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and yet every time she had closed her eyes to try and sleep, Megan's agonising screams had filled her mind, images of her lifeless body being dragged away by Julia.

Julia. There was another reason why sleep had seemed impossible last night. Every single time she had tried to find her safe place, tried to imagine Harry's strong arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace, Julia had arrived and torn them apart again, taking Harry by the hand and leaving her alone in the cold.

Julia Lyons could be with Harry at that very moment, giving him everything that he hadn't wanted from Nikki, and manipulating the very case that she had now become part of.

"They made me watch," Freya stammered, and Nikki opened her eyes again. "When they took me out last night, to get cleaned and ready for the client. They made me watch as they stripped her. Dressed her in the clothes that she had been wearing when they had taken her. Scrubbing at her fingernails, her skin, washing her hair."

Freya looked up again desperately, her body still shivering.

"They erased every detail of her ever being here, didn't they? They'll never be able to find us."

Nikki didn't know what to say. She knew how clean the body of Megan would be when she was found, that there would be no evidence. She just hoped that the fact that Megan had been stabbed in front of them rather than at the scene wouldn't have missed Harry and Leo's attention, and that maybe they would find something, _anything_ to link them to this place. Not that that was likely. They had all been trying to do just that for what felt like forever now.

"They will," Nikki managed to smile at Freya and Jessica, who had sat down next to her. "They will find us. I know they will, because I know that Jessica's father will do everything he can until he finds her. I know that your family will be looking for you, that Leanne's family will be looking for her…"

"My family don't care, remember?" Freya sighed, wiping the tears from her face. She seemed to have composed herself again, and was now looking much more relaxed. "I worked on a street corner. No one will be looking for me."

"Yes, they will," Nikki nodded. "You're just as important as any other girl in here."

"And what about you?" Freya asked, crossing her arms to stop the shivering. "Who will be looking for you?"

Nikki opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it again, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Last week, that would have been an easy question to answer, but now…

"We'll get out of here," she said determinedly, feeling the goose bumps erupt on her bare skin.

It was only when Freya sighed, before standing up and making her way to the other side of the barn towards the other girls that Nikki realised what she had meant by 'getting ready' for the client. She didn't know how she had missed it for so long really. It wasn't exactly good living conditions in the barn, and yet Freya's skin was clean, as well as her hair and nails. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a loose T-shirt that had been different to the ones from the day before, but obviously didn't belong to her. All of the other girls seemed to be dressed in a similar way, rather than the clothes that they would have been wearing originally.

And that's why they had seemed so clean when Nikki had performed the post-mortems. They were changed back into their clothes before they were killed. Before they were left. And they were cleaned for the client, so that they wouldn't suspect so much. Or so they wouldn't complain more likely.

But Nikki was different. She could tell. Nikki hadn't been told to change. Hadn't been thrown in with the other girls and promised to a client. She had been chained up and made to watch the other girls suffer as much as she was. Had to watch one of them die right in front of her. No, Nikki knew that she was there for a different reason.

She just dreaded to think what that reason could be.


	49. Chapter 49  Flowers

**Woo, a quicker update for a change, even though I wasn't planning on having another one ready by now :)**

**It's amazing how much I can write when I'm supposed to be writing a dissertation... haha.**

**THANK YOU for still reading and to Izzy, EmmaJ1996, Lizziginne, dinabar and pinkswallowsun for reviewing! I would have given up after chapter one if you hadn't stuck with this :D**

**Sorry, I don't think I can write short chapters at the moment :p and this one is a little jumpy...**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 49 - Flowers

The post mortem of Megan Franklin had been just what they had expected.

Leo had arrived back from the coroner's office by the time the SOCO team had finished searching the area and taking photos, Harry having carried out the initial examination of the body.

It had taken him nearly twenty minutes before he had moved back the victim's blonde hair to reveal the deep purple bruises to her neck, her eyes glassy and unfocused. Shaw had quickly produced the missing persons reports, and the victim was identified within minutes. Leo had taken over almost as soon as he had arrived, ordering Harry to go home while he performed the PM, telling him he was no good when he was that tired.

Harry had refused of course, and had instead observed the entire PM from the balcony, trying desperately to pick up on anything that could be of relevance. But there was nothing from the initial autopsy that was startlingly different to the other girls, until Leo had studied her throat, where he paused.

"What?" Harry asked, noticing Leo stop, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. "What have you found?"

"Nothing really," Leo said, turning to face Harry. "It's just, the oesophagus doesn't seem as damaged as with the other girls. She was definitely strangled, and that appears to be the cause of death, but it looks like it didn't take him long to kill her."

"The blood patterns at the scene were different too," Harry stated. "There wasn't as much. I don't think she was stabbed outside the Lyell. I think she's been moved."

"Fits with the clothing," Zak announced, and both Harry and Leo turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, and Zak suddenly looked nervous, as if he had spoken out of place.

"I just mean that, well, when I was getting her ready, I went to take her shirt off, and there was no incision in the material. There was a stab wound to her abdomen obviously, and the shirt was covered in blood, but there was no hole in the fabric from the weapon. We should have the photos back from SOCO soon…"

"No, I believe you," Leo nodded. "Well noticed Zak. She was stabbed, then changed, and then moved. That's why it didn't take him much to strangle her. She was already bleeding to death by that time, but he had to make all the girls look the same."

"Looks like it," Harry sighed, leaning his head back.

This had not been what he was hoping for. Not that he really knew what he was hoping for if he was completely honest. That it had been quick? That the latest victim wouldn't have died a slow and painful death? Or that she would hold the vital bit of evidence to help them track down the missing girls, to finding Nikki?

"Harry," Leo's voice made Harry startle, and it was only then that he realised how close he had been to falling asleep on the observatory balcony. "Go home. Please. I'll phone you if anything turns up."

They both knew what Leo had meant by that of course. So far, there had been no sign of another playing card, but they knew it was only a matter of time before it appeared.

Reluctantly Harry nodded his head, pushing himself to his feet and running his hands through his hair.

"Anything Leo. Anything at all that may be relevant-"

"Of course," Leo nodded. "Go. I'll be fine here, I have Zak to help me with everything. Please go and get some sleep."

Harry sighed heavily, leaving the balcony and grabbing his coat on the way out. Even before he had left the office he knew that he wasn't going home. How the hell was he supposed to sleep when they had just been given a reminder of what could happen to the other girls. To Nikki.

* * *

Punching in the password for Nikki's apartment and taking the stairs two at a time, Harry was surprised to see her front door looking just as it had done the previous day. He knew that Shaw had instructed a SOCO team to search her apartment, looking for any clues, and yet they had managed to leave it looking untouched, as if Nikki could be inside getting ready for work.

But Harry knew she wouldn't be, and so with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he found Nikki's key that now lived next to his own on his key ring, and let himself in.

The SOCO team really had done a good job ensuring that everything looked the same as it had done before, which only seemed to make it harder for Harry. It felt as if he shouldn't be there, wondering through her apartment without her, sitting on her sofa without her cuddled up next to him. It was only when Harry did fall into the soft cushioned sofa that he noticed the book open on the coffee table as it had been before, the pages displaying the flowers that Nikki had identified from the clothing of the victims.

Carefully picking up the heavy book, Harry dropped it onto his lap and was surprised when a few sheets of paper fell out from between the pages.

The paper was covered in Nikki's delicate scrawling handwriting, a series of small harts decorating the margin of the first page until they reached the very top, where his name had been written right in the corner. The lines that made up his name were simple, yet it looked as if they had been written over countless times, and Harry could feel the indentation in the paper when he ran his thumb over the top, unlike the rest of her writing that seemed to have been written so softly he was surprised the pen had even touched the page.

The first page of notes seemed of little relevance, and it looked as if Nikki had just copied some of the information from the large book, even drawing a rough sketch of the flower in question. Yet as Harry placed the sheet of paper on the coffee table, the one underneath caught his eye.

This page was obviously a print out from the internet, showing an aerial view of a section of London. On the map, Nikki had carefully circled certain points, and Harry knew immediately that they were the location where the girls had been found. And then, with a thick red pen, she had circled different locations, giving each one a number, all of which were situated near the river that ran across the map.

The third page Harry noticed, worked like a key to the second. Nikki had written the numbers down the side of the paper, giving a list of reasons as to why the location may be important. At the bottom she had underlined some points that had obviously been behind the majority of her reasoning.

'Marsh Marigolds. Shouldn't flower this time of year. Need a warm place to flower? Inside. Marshes. Wet woodland. Near river? Abandoned warehouses, farm houses, old shipping stations?'

The scribbled notes made little sense to Harry, yet as he read and re-read the words, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of hope flutter in his chest. This could be relevant. It could help them narrow down the search. It could bring him that little bit closer to Nikki.

Shoving the pages into his pocket, Harry replaced the book on the coffee table and left Nikki's apartment, not looking back as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Dr Harry," Lottie beamed at him as Harry pushed through the doors into the station. "Nice to see you again. Who are you here to see this time?"

"Shaw, Maddox, I couldn't care less, I just need to see _someone _that is involved in this bloody case," Harry shouted, before realising what he had done and dropping his voice again. "Sorry Lottie. I just need to speak to whoever is free, as soon as possible."

"Don't worry," Lottie gave him a warm smile. "We all have days like that. Maddox should be free, according to his schedule. He's in the second conference room. I'm not sure about Shaw though I'm afraid."

"Maddox will do fine, thanks," Harry nodded, walking away and quickly finding the right room.

Harry knocked once and entered without waiting for a reply, only to find both Shaw and Maddox glaring at each other from opposite ends of the room. Harry had obviously just disturbed them in the middle of a rather heated discussion by the looks of it.

"Cunningham," Maddox glared, and Shaw let out a sigh, giving Harry a weak smile. Harry still couldn't stand to be around Shaw, and yet he felt strangely sorry for him for a split second, knowing how hard it could be to have a civil conversation with Maddox.

"I think I've got you a search radius," Harry stated, glancing between Maddox and Shaw before taking out the scrunched up paper from his pocket and smoothing it out on the table.

Suddenly noticing that the top page was the one that Nikki had decorated with harts, Harry shoved it back in his pocket and lay the other two out side by side.

"Great," Shaw said enthusiastically, moving over to stand by Harry, whilst Maddox watched him, his eyes narrowed.

"Nikki had been looking at plants," Harry said, focusing back on the papers. "One in particular that had been found on the clothing of the girls. She's circled placed where she thought the plant may be found, considering it's rather late for it still to be flowering, and every location that she has circled is between the areas the girls were found. You see, the flower would have needed somewhere warm to survive the cold weather, and the women must be held in the same place."

Harry looked up again to see both detectives looking at the map, but it was Maddox that spoke first.

"We'll need to keep these," he said, nodding to the table.

"Of course," Harry replied, pushing the paper in his direction.

"I'll get a team out looking right away," Maddox announced, taking out his mobile and checking the time.

"I'll sort that out-" Shaw volunteered, but Maddox interjected.

"No," he snarled, stepping closer to Shaw. "I don't care who's leading this investigation, I'll sort it out."

Both men stared at each other, and Harry suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable being in the room with them.

"I need to be somewhere," Maddox said finally, checking the time again. "But don't think this is over Shaw. I'm not finished with you yet."

And with that, Maddox left the conference room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"How do you work with that man?" Harry asked once he knew Maddox was far enough away not to hear.

"I have no idea," Shaw smiled weakly. "He's just been telling me how incompetent I am. I don't think he likes the fact that the officers are more willing to listen to what I have to say than what comes out of his mouth. He intimidates them, it's no wonder everyone's afraid to talk to him."

Harry nodded. Maybe Shaw wasn't so bad after all. Maybe it was just the fact that he was getting so close to Nikki that had infuriated Harry. But now, he didn't care who it was that was looking for her, the more people the better, even if she still hadn't forgiven him by the time they found her. _If _they found her.

"The eye witness was no good by the way," Shaw sighed. "All we could get from her was that there was one man and one woman, which we already knew."

"SOCO did a good job at the apartment," Harry commented. "I've just been there. You wouldn't know that they had even set foot in the place."

"I have a good team," Shaw smiled. "They'll have all the information they need though, don't worry. They're very thorough."

Harry nodded again and Shaw raised his eyebrows.

"I'll go chase up a team to start searching," he said, making his way to the door. "Just ignore Maddox. I can get things done in this place without him knowing about it. We'll find her Harry. We'll find all of them."

Harry watched Shaw leave before running his hands through his hair and leaving the conference room behind him, not knowing where to go next.

It was as Harry was leaving the station after waving goodbye to Lottie that everything began to catch up with his again. A combination of exhaustion and the feeling of no control over the situation seemed to grab hold of him, refusing to let him think of anything else but how much he had let her down.

Leaning against the side of the wall at the bottom of the stairs, Harry could feel the tears fight to escape, stinging his eyes as he refused to let them free. Turning round to lean his head on the concrete, it took all his strength to not lash out at the wall again. The skin on his knuckled had hardly had any time to heal, and hitting them again to vent out his anger would only make things worse.

"Harry?"

The voice was instantly recognisable, and yet the sound of it made Harry squeeze his eyes shut tight. He didn't know if he wanted to face her right now, not after everything, and yet as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, his whole body relaxed slightly.

Letting himself be turned around, Harry found himself face to face with Julia, who was staring at him, her hand still on his shoulder.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked gently, reaching up to touch his cheek. "What's happened?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, yet was lost for words. Where did he start to explain just how much was wrong?

"Where have you been?" he managed finally, trying to read the expression on her features and failing. "I tried to ring you, and you wouldn't pick up."

"Oh I'm sorry Harry," she said, stepping closer to him. "I was called away to another veterinary surgery outside of London at the last minute. Kind of in the middle of nowhere actually, not a very good signal."

Harry nodded, turning away from her again and roughly rubbing at his eyes.

"Harry listen, do you want to go somewhere to talk? I was just here to ask about my sister's case, but it can wait."

Harry felt guilty at the very idea of Julia leaving with him, but if she had any information that could help him find Nikki then it would be worth it, he thought to himself. He knew that Leo had wanted the police to get Julia in for questioning over the other case, but right now, he just wanted to speak to her alone. Wanted to talk to someone other than Leo. And yet he knew that there was only ever one person he would open up to fully, and it was the very same person he felt so far away from.

Harry had almost forgotten that Maddox was in charge of Julia's sister's case. The Yates' case had become completely forgotten about in the last few days, and that only made him feel even worse. He had promised Julia he would do everything he could to find out what had happened. He had already broken one promise recently, he didn't want to break another one.

He had promised himself that he would keep Nikki safe, and instead he had pushed her away.

"Come on," Julia said, taking Harry by the hand and leading him to the car park. "Let's go back to yours, talk things over. I'm sure everything isn't as bad as it seems."

"It is," Harry managed, letting himself be guided. "It's worse than that. So much worse."

* * *

Harry's apartment was only a few minutes from the station, so within half an hour Harry and Julia were sat on Harry's sofa, Harry having told Julia the basics of everything that had happened, and his concerns for Nikki as well as the other girls.

Julia had listened throughout, nodding at the right time and not interrupting until Harry had finally stopped talking.

"So you see Julia, if you know anything, _anything _about your sister's case, then it might be relevant to finding them. Anything at all."

Julia sighed, placing her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry Harry, I don't know a thing. Until the last day that I saw my sister, I thought she was happy with Ray. I thought that they had no problems, as much as I didn't like the guy. I don't know a thing," she paused, frowning at Harry. "You look exhausted. Why don't you go lie down for a bit?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'm fine. I've tried to sleep, but I just can't switch off. I can't get the images out my head, and I'm beginning to forget which ones are real and which ones I've made up!"

Julia leant over the sofa and placed a small kiss on Harry's lips, taking his hands as she did so. When he didn't react, she slowly stood up and pulled him to his feet, walking backwards in the direction of his bedroom and guiding Harry along with her.

"Why don't I help you forget," she whispered, a small smile playing on her lips. "Just for a couple of hours. You'll have a clearer head after some sleep."

Harry followed her, his expression blank and his feet moving automatically, until Julia pulled him down onto his bed and pushed her lips against his.

* * *

Her phone rang as she was buttoning up her shirt, and grabbing it hastily before it woke Harry up, she answered it on her way out the bedroom door.

"We have a problem," he spoke, his voice holding annoyance. "We're running out of time."

"What do you mean?" she answered, her voice panicked but even. "How can we be running out of time, you said we were ok? You said that they would never find us."

"Well our little friend left a few clues behind before we took her," he spat, and she heard something crash in the background as he lashed out. "I need you to distract him, keep him away from the case for a while."

"That's already sorted," she answered, glancing through the doorway of the bedroom to Harry, who was sprawled out across the sheets. "And you'll sort out-"

"Yes," he said bluntly. "But we need to be quick. We need to make sure they don't pick up our scent."

"We can't move them all in time," Julia said, the panic now evident in her voice. "How are we supposed to-"

"We just need to focus on her," he laughed, a smile in his voice. "We dispose of her tonight."


	50. Chapter 50  Tonight

**This one wasn't meant to be so long, so the next one will be the Julia chapter instead :)**

**One day, I'm actually going to update this at a reasonable time... 2am and I have a lecture tomorrow morning... brilliant. I think I should be nocturnal :p**

**THANK YOU to everyone reading, and to you amazing people that reviewed: Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, Izzy, dinabar, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, Thyqua (and for the last chapter :D), Sally Mayhem and Thaliab :D actually, amazing isn't enough to describe how brilliant you are :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 50 – Tonight

Harry blinked, his eyes adjusting to the darkening room, and groaning as he realised exactly where he was. And what had happened.

He hadn't wanted to fall asleep, hadn't wanted to stop looking, searching for any new information, and yet he had given in. He'd let the exhaustion win. And he had let Julia into his bed…

He had given into Julia, instead of looking for Nikki.

She had acted like she had needed him at first, that she needed comfort after her sister had died. Yet the feelings of being needed had fuelled his rash decisions. And probably his anger too. But there was no excuse for what he had just let himself do, what he had been doing for weeks. What he had just done to the one person who was there for him, no matter what was going on. The only person who had been a constant reassurance in his life when everything else was falling apart. If only he hadn't been so stupid, he would have noticed that this one person had needed him too.

She had needed him to look after her, and instead he had sent her away, had told her that he didn't want her.

Truth was, he didn't want her.

He needed her. More than ever before.

She was someone who didn't need him to fuel her self worth. Someone who wouldn't jump into bed with him and claim that all her troubles had now disappeared. Someone who was too stubborn to admit that she needed him. Or had she been trying to tell him, and he was so wrapped up in his own life that he had ignored all the signs?

Harry groaned, running his hand through his hair and squeezing his eyes shut again. He couldn't remember anything from earlier, not after Julia had pulled him into his bedroom. But he needed to push all that from his mind. There were more important things to be doing today and he couldn't afford to spend any more time in bed.

He had to find her. To make everything alright again.

To tell her that he would always, _always _want her more than anyone else.

* * *

"What day is it?" Jessica asked, tilting her head to the side and frowning to herself. "Is it the fourteenth yet?"

"I don't know," Holly muttered, pulling her knees up tighter to her chin. "What does it matter what bloody day is it? It's just another day, another day that we're stuck in here."

All the girls were sitting opposite the door with Nikki, forming a small circle as they huddled together to keep warm.

"It _does _matter!" Jessica shouted, turning to face Holly "It does. It's my dad's birthday on the fourteenth."

"It's not," Nikki spoke, before noticing the hurt look in Jessica's eyes and realising how she had sounded. "No, I don't mean it's not important. I mean, it's not the fourteenth yet. I know it's not."

Jessica smiled, her eyes lighting up in the dim room.

"You mean, we could get out in time. I could be home for his birthday."

Nikki nodded, not knowing what to say to her, giving her a weak smile.

"You are joking, aren't you?" Leanne frowned. "You are so naïve, seriously, how old are you Jessica? Don't you know what's going to happen to us? We're not going to be found. We're going to die, and there's nothing we can do about it. You saw what they did to Megan."

"That's enough!" Freya interjected, moving to sit on her knees. "I mean it, enough. I've told you over and over again, we are not going there. We are not thinking like that, and we are getting out of here. Now, whose turn is it?"

"Mine," Jessica smiled, as if their arguments were a regular occurrence that were quickly forgotten. "My question's for Nikki."

She grinned, moving to copy Freya's position and leaning in towards her slightly.

"Nikki, first…" she scrunched up her nose in thought, before smiling again. "First time you fainted."

Nikki laughed loudly, leaning her head against the wall.

"That's a random question. I'm not sure. I could tell you the last time I fainted," she smirked, remembering how she had woken up in Leo's office, knowing who had carried her there.

"Nope, first. We're playing firsts, not lasts," Jessica rolled her eyes animatedly.

"Fine," Nikki sighed playfully. "Probably when I was about fifteen. I'd snuck out the house, gone to a party at some guys house even thought he was about four years older than I was, drank far too much and passed out on his bed."

"Yeah, but that's not fainting, is it?" Jessica laughed. "That's passing out. Doesn't count."

"Ok, ok," Nikki smiled. "When I was studying medicine, first year at university, first post mortem I had to attend. I was fine, all the way through. It was fascinating actually, and I knew then that that is what I wanted to do. That's why I became a forensic anthropologist."

Nikki smiled at the confused look on Jessica's face.

"I look at bones as well as bodies in various stages of decomposition," she explained before continuing. "Anyway, I got all the way through the post mortem, and then went for a couple of drinks with the group on my course. But as we were leaving one of the guys tripped and fell down the steps at the front of the university, hitting his elbow on the stone wall. I took one look at the cut on his arm and fainted on the spot."

"And you still became a pathologist?" Freya raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Nikki smiled. "Dead bodies don't bleed, it's the blood that I don't like, when the person is still alive."

There was silence between them, and Nikki knew that they were all thinking about the same thing. Megan's blood still tainted the barn floor, a constant reminder of what had happened.

"Anyway, my turn to ask a question," Nikki said, trying to distract everyone and knowing that if she got asked another question it would ultimately end up going back to her job. Which meant another mention of death. "Holly, first-"

But she didn't get to ask her question, as suddenly the door swung open and Julia appeared in the doorway before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

"It's your lucky day," she smirked at Nikki, and Nikki was suddenly aware that both Jessica and Freya had seemed to move in front of her.

Pushing the other two aside, Julia stepped towards Nikki and knelt down beside her, grabbing her by the wrist as she did.

"Now listen here Dr Alexander," she smirked, and Nikki felt her wrist sting as Julia tightened her grip on her skin that had now been rubbed raw by the handcuffs. "I'm giving you a warning, and believe me, he won't like me doing this, but I want you to know just how long you have left. You have until tonight, and then he's coming for you. I suggest you enjoy your last few hours, because you know what's going to happen when he takes you. By the end of the night you'll be begging him to kill you, and I'm going to enjoy watching it."

Nikki held Julia's gaze, her expression never faltering. She was not going to show Julia any emotion, wasn't going to show her how scared she really was. Because that is what she was wanting from Nikki. A reaction. And she wasn't going to get one.

There was a click as the handcuffs around Nikki's wrist opened and Julia unfastened them from the railing. Julia must have noticed Nikki glancing at her now free wrist, and laughed, her face only inches from Nikki's.

"He enjoys this bit the most," Julia grinned. "Grabbing his 'angels.' Feeling them struggle to get away and knowing that there is nothing they can do about it. He told me himself. So he's not going to want you to be tied up, waiting for him, is he?"

Julia tilted her head to the side, as if waiting for Nikki to respond, but when there was only silence, she frowned and stood up again, turning her back to Nikki and walking towards the door.

"Tonight," she shouted, pulling open the door and letting the cold wind into the barn again, making all the women shiver. "He'll be here tonight. See you soon _Nikki_."

And then she was gone again, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it shut from the other side.

There was silence in the barn, and Nikki suddenly realised that all eyes were in her direction, watching her closely.

"Tonight," Nikki whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"We won't let him," Jessica said immediately, moving to sit beside Nikki and lifting up her arm that was now free from the handcuffs. "We won't let him get you. We'll- I don't know. We'll think of something."

"No you won't," Nikki slowly shook her head. "You saw what they did to Megan, even though you tried to save her."

"But if we all-"

"No," Nikki said bluntly, turning to face Jessica. "You won't do anything. Nothing at all."

Freya frowned, moving to sit next to Jessica.

"We need to _try _Nikki. We're not just going to let him take you."

"Yes you are," Nikki nodded. "And I'm going to go. I'm just going to stand up and go with him."

"But you can't!" Jessica wailed, tightening her grip on Nikki's wrist and suddenly letting go again as Nikki winced in pain. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I forgot-"

"It's ok," Nikki smiled, pulling her hand away and holding it to her chest as it throbbed. She knew that it would be a mess. She knew how hard she had pulled against the sharp metal, how far it had cut in to her skin, and she didn't want to look at it. Not yet. "You have to let me go. You have to sit there and say nothing, and let me go."

"I won't," Jessica shook her head. "I won't do it. You keep telling us that we're going to be ok, that we're going to be found and that everything will be ok. And yet you expect us to just sit here and watch you walk away with him. Willingly walk to your death."

"Yes," Nikki nodded, not looking at Jessica but instead turning to Freya, knowing that she would understand. "It's what he wants. What he thrives on. Fear. He wants us to fight back, wants us to scream and lash out, because it makes him feel in control. Makes him feel that he has all the power."

Freya nodded slowly, her eyes falling to the hard ground as she began to draw the swirling patterns in the dust again.

"I don't want you to," she spoke eventually. "But I think you're right. If he's going to come anyway, we don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how scared we actually are."

There was silence once again, before Freya suddenly looked up, breathed deeply and pushed herself to her feet, holding out her hand in front of Nikki.

"Right," she said. "Up. You haven't been able to walk around since you got here, and if you're going to walk out of here with your head held high, you need to be steady on your feet."

Nikki smiled warmly at Freya, grateful that she had agreed with Nikki without too much of a fight. Holding up her left hand, her right still held close to her body, Freya gently pulled her to her feet, taking hold of her arm to steady her as her head spun.

"I knew you'd feel weak when you stood up," Freya rolled her eyes. "You refused to eat anything, didn't you?"

"You've been here longer, I was ok without-"

"Yeah yeah, always the martyr," Freya smirked. "I was still right though. How are you going punch him when you have no energy?"

"Punch him?"

"Well yes," Freya's eyes were wide, a smile playing on her lips. "I may not have known you very long Nikki Alexander, but I can tell that there is no way you will go down without a fight. You give him one for me, ok. Right between the eyes."

Nikki laughed, watching as the other girls got to their feet too, Leanne and Holly walking to the other side of the barn whilst Jessica took hold of Nikki's other arm. She didn't know how she was laughing now, when she knew that he was coming back for her in only a few hours. When she knew that there was no way she was going to see anyone else ever again. Not Leo, or Janet, or Zak.

Not Harry.

The very thought of Harry made her heart ache. Literally ache, as if it knew that it was never going to be right ever again. After all, there was only one person who could ever have fixed it. And maybe he would have done it haphazardly, just like he had when he had taped her mug back together, but he would have done it. Would have fixed her until she fell apart again. But now, now her heart knew that it was broken beyond repair, never to be fixed again, and destined to stop completely by the end of the night.

"How about you walk round for a bit, get some of your balance back?" Freya suggested, and Nikki nodded, straightening up as the other girls let go, each holding their hands out as if to catch her if she was to wobble.

After walking round the barn a few times, her bare feet sore from the rough ground, Nikki walked over to the small window that was near the door and peered out of the scratched glass, squinting as she tried to make out any of her surroundings in the dim light. But it was useless. It was too dark to see a thing.

Leaning in so her lips were only centimetres from the glass, she blew onto the surface, watching it fog up, before carefully drawing on the cold canvas. No sooner had she finished, the glass was clear again, as if taunting her that no matter what she did, there was going to be no trace of her ever being here. They knew how to clean up after all, how to leave the police with no evidence.

She just hoped that Harry would be able to remember what she had told him about the plants. Be able to work out where they would be found and save the other girls before it was too late for them as well.

"Are you scared?" Jessica asked quietly, appearing next to Nikki.

Nikki smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"Yes. And no," she said, taking Jessica's hand and squeezing it. "I'm not scared of dying, if that's what you mean. I don't want to die of course, but that doesn't scare me. When you work around death for so long you come to realise that it's the living you need to worry about. Once you've died, that's it. You don't have to suffer any longer. But the ones you leave behind, that's a different story."

"And who are you leaving behind?" Jessica asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No one," Nikki answered, feeling her heart ache again as she realised how true it really was. "No one other than a father who I haven't seen in years, a couple of friends I lost contact with ages ago, and a few work colleagues."

"And him," Jessica nodded towards the window, and Nikki frowned.

"Who?"

"You know who," Jessica smiled sadly. "I saw what you drew on the window."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nikki said as she made a quick decision, pulling Jessica away from the window and towards Freya. "Now listen, both of you, I need to talk to you."

Freya moved towards Nikki, taking her by the arm again and helping her to sit down.

"I'm not promising anything, but I need you to pay attention anyway. If _she _gets her way-" Nikki said, looking between Jessica and Freya, careful not to say Julia's name. "Then I'll be speaking to her later before- well, before we all know what's going to happen. But I know for a fact that none of this is actually her idea. She's too dim to think of this all on her own, she's just going along with everything he tells her. If, and it is an if Jessica. But if I can, I'll try to unlock the door. However, you _need _to promise me something."

Jessica nodded immediately, yet Freya looked uncomfortable.

"What do you mean you'll-" Freya started, but Nikki cut in.

"I need you to promise that you'll wait in here until you _know _they have gone," Nikki said, knowing they would both understand what it meant. "And I need you to promise that you won't even _think _about coming to find me before that, no matter how- no matter what you hear, ok?"

Both girls were now staring at each other, tears running down Jessica's face.

"And lastly," Nikki breathed, fighting to keep her own tears under control. "You don't go to the police. You don't go home. You don't go anywhere near your family. You take your clothes, your clean ones that you arrived in, you wash yourselves, look presentable, and then you go. You hide somewhere, I don't know where, someone you can trust to keep you safe. Oh God, this sounds mad!"

Nikki shook her head, covering her eyes with her hands and turning away from the other two as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. Who was she kidding? Why was she giving them false hope, when she knew that if, by some miracle, she managed to unlock the door without the two of them noticing, the first thing they would want to do was go home?

"Ok," came a small voice beside Nikki, and she turned around to see Freya watching her seriously. "Ok, we'll stay away from everyone. I know somewhere we can hide, no questions asked. She took me in years ago. I don't know if the others will like it after all they've been through, but she won't make them do anything like that. She'll let us pay her back later."

"You mean, it's a brothel," Jessica sighed, looking from Freya who nodded her head, to Nikki. "Why can't we just go home?"

"It's not safe," Nikki said looking down at the ground, not wanting to meet the other girls in the eye. "If you go back, if the police find out, I don't know what he's capable of. I don't know how safe you or your families will be. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Maybe-"

"I trust you," Nikki looked up, surprised at the voice, to find Holly standing in front of her. "I don't know why, but I trust you."

"Me too," Freya nodded, followed by Jessica.

Holly glanced towards Leanne, who sighed and slowly nodded her head.

"I trust you too," she whispered, wrapping a blanket tightly round her body.

"Right," Nikki smiled at the girls, not knowing how she had managed to get all of them to agree so quickly. "Well then, you stay there until he's been caught, ok? Until you know your families are safe, and then you go to the Lyell Centre in London, and ask for Leo. Professor Leo Dalton. He'll be able to help you."

The girls nodded, each taking in Nikki's words.

"This is your last night in here, I promise," Nikki said, hoping that her words were true, and knowing for a fact that if everything went wrong, it would only be Nikki leaving tonight.

And for the first time, she wished she could stay handcuffed to the railing instead.


	51. Chapter 51  Preparation

**I've thought of a new fic idea - Death by dissertation... :p I'm so sorry this is so late. Coursework literally took over my life!**

**But thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all those still reading, and to Terriah, Lizziginne, gem.S, pinkswallowsun, EmmaJ1996, Izzy, Thyqua, dinabar and Sally Mayhem for your reviews. You are beyond totally amazing, all of you!**

**This one was supposed to be the Julia chapter, and then this was written instead... But next one will be, promise :D and then there'll be more Harry/Leo chapters :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 51 – Preparation

Nikki sat in silence, watching Jessica and Freya talking to each other as they sat in front of her, an awkwardness hanging around them all. It was getting late, the sky growing darker, so slowly Nikki pushed herself to her feet, smiling at the other two warmly, before making her way to the small window and leaning against the crumbing window ledge.

The sky was an inky blue, not quite day light yet not darkness either, the bright moon illuminating the silvery clouds. Nikki sighed, her eyes transfixed to the swirling shapes in the sky, and suddenly she felt tears spring to her eyes. It was getting dark, the sun was already gone, and she would never see it again. Never feel the warmth on her skin as she sat in the park with Harry, or on the beach in South Africa. She'd never see the first flowers of spring, or the sunrise on an early call out.

And she would never feel the strong, comforting arms of her best friend around her waist, holding her close and scaring away all the evils in the world as they shared their body heat. Never again would she fall asleep on her sofa after too much wine, her head against his chest and his hand through her hair.

Nikki blinked back the tears, concentrating on keeping her breath steady. She had to act strong, no matter how hard it was. She was not going to show him any weakness, not now. Not ever.

And yet the thought of everything she was going to miss, everything she had not yet done, suddenly came crashing over her all at once, and it took Nikki all her strength to just stay on her feet.

"Nikki?"

What were you supposed to think at a time like this, knowing that you only had hours left to live? Knowing that you will never see the ones you love ever again, knowing what is going to happen, and dreading how they are going to hurt the others after they had finished with you. Nikki shivered at the thought and tried to shake it from her mind. She worried about the other girls more than she would ever tell them, but she was going to try and fix that, going to attempt to do something right by them after failing to find the information to save them earlier. It was Harry and Leo that she worried about more.

She knew how sick he could be, she had seen the evidence on the bodies of his victims, and knew that he would more than likely be planning something with her. She just hoped that Harry and Leo wouldn't need to see her after… well, ever again really. She knew that they wouldn't be allowed to perform her post mortem; she just didn't want them to be the ones that had to find her.

"Nikki?"

Nikki blinked again, forcing the tears to stay away, determined not to let them run free, before turning to the sound of Jessica's voice and smiling.

"What are you thinking?"

"Not much," Nikki answered, leaning back against the window ledge.

"You were, I could tell. You didn't even realise I was standing next to you," Jessica frowned, and Nikki couldn't help but laugh. Jessica's serious expression seemed to give her a unique naivety, and Nikki hoped that if and when the others got out, Freya would help to protect Jessica, knowing what _he_ was planning for her.

"Just, stuff," Nikki smiled. "Stupid stuff really."

"Can I talk to you?" Jessica asked quickly, grabbing Nikki by the wrist and suddenly letting go again as Nikki winced.

"Sure," Nikki nodded as Jessica repeated her apologies, before taking her by the hand and leading her to the other side of the room, sitting down on ne of the few blankets they had.

"I don't want you to go," Jessica blurted out almost as soon as they sat down, the tears already running down her cheeks. "I don't want you to go Nikki, please don't-"

"Jessica," Nikki said forcefully, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, ok? Listen. I have to go, you know I do. There's no way to stop that. But I promise you, I'm going to try everything I can for you to get home. You never know, it might even be in time for your dad's birthday."

Nikki smiled again, but Jessica looked distraught.

"How can you be so calm?" she cried, her hands shaking. "Don't you care that you will never see anyone again? What about your parent's, don't you want to be with them?"

"I don't have parents," Nikki shook her head, before sighing. "Well, I have a dad, but who knows where he is by now. Either locked up, or involved in some dodgy scam. Believe me Jessica, no ones going to notice I'm gone, I'm just a workaholic pathologist that causes more trouble than I solve."

"You don't mean that. You must be scared," Jessica sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Scared?" Nikki laughed weakly. "Jessica I'm terrified. Completely and utterly terrified, but remember, we're not going to let him see. We're going to be strong, no matter what."

Slowly, Jessica nodded her head, moving to sit next to Nikki and leaning her head on Nikki's shoulder.

"Do you think my dad's looking for me?" Jessica asked innocently.

"I know he is."

There was silence for a few minutes, and Nikki watched the girls at the other end of the barn, where Freya was carefully plaiting Holly's hair, Leanne wrapped in a blanket next to her.

"Jessica, I need to tell you something and I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone, not one person, until the time is right," Nikki spoke quietly, and Jessica sat up, watching her carefully. "You can keep it a secret, can't you?"

Jessica looked uneasy, glancing down the room as if expecting backup from Freya.

"I- I think so," she stammered.

"No, Jessica, this is serious, I need you to promise me, no matter what," Nikki said seriously, moving so she was looking straight at Jessica again.

"Ok," Jessica nodded. "Ok, I promise."

Nikki breathed deeply, trying to think of the best way to phrase what she was wanting to say.

"If- if you get out of here tonight, and get to Freya's safe place, I need you to-" Nikki frowned and Jessica seemed to mimic her actions. "Jessica, when it's safe enough and you can go back to your family, you know where you need to go first, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jessica nodded. "To the Thomas Lyell Centre in London. And ask for Professor Leo Doll- Dot-"

"Dalton," Nikki finished. "Professor Leo Dalton."

"Yeah, I know all that," Jessica nodded. "I know that no matter how much we want to go home, we can't until it's safe, until we speak to Leo and-"

"I need you to do something else for me Jessica," Nikki spoke quickly, knowing that she wouldn't have much time to tell her everything. "Just you, and you can't tell a single person."

"Not even Fray-"

"No one," Nikki said forcefully, looking Jessica straight in the eyes. "Once it's safe, once you know that you and your family will be ok, if he- if he hasn't been caught and he's still out there then he can do this again. So I need you to get a message to Harry. He'll be at the Lyell too, and if he's not then ask Leo to talk to him."

"Harry?" Jessica's eyes seemed to grow as she glanced at the window. "The Harry that-"

"Yes," Nikki sighed. "He's- he's a colleague. Best friend actually, until recently. Anyway, I need you to find him."

"How do I know who he is?" Jessica asked, and Nikki couldn't help but laugh.

"You'll know," she smiled. "Scruffy hair that hasn't seen a hairbrush in years, tight shirt with the top button undone because he thinks he's younger than he is. You'll probably hear him before you see him actually."

Jessica smiled, yet it quickly slipped off her face when the room lit up with a pair of car headlights shining through the small window.

"No," Jessica began to shake immediately. "No, Nikki please, I can't do this, I can't let you go with him. I can't be strong."

"You can," Nikki said seriously, placing her hands on Jessica's shoulders again and glancing over at Freya who was obviously trying to keep the other two calm. "Jessica listen to me. You remember everything I've just told you, don't you? And I _need _you to remember this for me. It's one word, one name, ok? And you need to keep it a secret, only tell Harry, just Harry. He'll understand."

Placing her hands on Jessica's cheeks, Nikki looked straight into her eyes before leaning in to her ear and whispering the name, before looking back to her.

"You need to remember," Nikki said as she heard footsteps getting closer. "Please. Remember. You can do this Jessica, I know you can, you can be strong. For your dad, for Megan and the other girls that have already been taken. For me. You can be strong."

"I- I can't."

"You can, you have to be. Just listen later, ok? Just wait, you're going to be out today. You're going home very very soon," Nikki tried desperately to keep Jessica calm as the footsteps got closer.

Yet as soon as the doors opened, the cold wind stinging her skin, Nikki felt Jessica grip her hand so tight that she thought she'd never let go.

Nikki froze, spinning on the spot until she was facing him, his large frame filling the doorway. She thought she'd be scared when he arrived, she thought she'd tremble and shake and find it almost impossible to move, to go through with what she had told everyone only hours before. But now, staring into his eyes, his twisted smile placed firmly on his lips, the fear that had been present before seemed to evaporate. She knew what would be coming, what was going to happen to her, and yes she was still afraid, but in that very moment, she knew that she was doing the right thing by going with him rather than fighting him and making the other girls worry more.

There was nothing else she could do after all.

"Dr Alexander," his voice echoed through the barn, making her whole body shiver. "Do you know what time it is? It's time for me to have a little fun, and you're invited."

He stepped inside, a needle glinting in his hand, which somehow made Nikki feel slightly warmer inside. She wasn't going to let him win. She wasn't.

"Well done," Nikki whispered to Jessica. "You're doing really well. Remember, let Harry know. And- and let him know that I'm sorry, ok. Tell him the key is in my fireplace. He'll know what it's for one day. You're going to be fine Jessica. You all are."

Smiling at Jessica one last time, Nikki stood up and turned to Freya, giving her a reassuring nod.

"Right," Nikki said, trying to keep the trembling from her voice as she did so. "Let's go then."

Nikki could see the look of confusion flash across his eyes, before he grabbed hold of her wrist, as if expecting her to fight back, and Nikki felt her heartbeat rise as she tried to hide the pain it caused her. There was silence in the barn as he stared at Nikki, as if daring her to try and escape, desperate for her to scream and shout.

"Oh," he grinned eventually. "It's like that is it? Trying to put on a brave face? I know what you're like, all of you. You're terrified."

Again, all the girls stayed silent, and suddenly the anger was evident on his face.

"Maybe I should remind you what I can do to you, if you've forgotten already!" he shouted, his grip tightening on Nikki's wrist so hard that she felt as if it would snap, and it took Nikki every ounce of strength to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks and the scream that had built up at bay.

Nikki could hear Jessica quietly crying behind her, and hoped that she could keep quiet enough until they had left. Suddenly, Nikki felt her wrist being pulled behind her back until she was facing the opposite way, his arm clamping around her neck as he held her to his body.

"Let's just go," Nikki stammered, noting the pain in her voice. "Please, let's just go."

He laughed, sending chills down her spine and making her head spin as she tried to focus on remaining standing.

"And why would you want to do that?" he laughed. "What are you trying to achieve? Hmm, Dr Alexander, always got a trick up her sleeve. What are you planning?"

"Nothing," Nikki cried, the tears threatening to spill over. "Nothing. But what's the point in staying here, I know you want to talk to me on m own, don't you? How the hell could I plan anything when you've had me chained up since I got here?"

Nikki could hear her voice rising, and cursed herself for letting him get to her before she'd even left the barn. His arm tightened around her neck, making her eyes water as she struggled to breath, the room beginning to spin.

"You know what?" he asked, letting go of her suddenly, leaving Nikki gasping for air. "I need all my girls on their best form tonight, I have something special planned. And I mean _all _my little angels," he added, glancing at Jessica who pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry properly now.

Pushing her roughly between the shoulder blades, Nikki found herself at the doorway, and with one final glance at Freya, a look of pure determination in her eyes, Nikki was pushed outside into the bitter cold, her bare feet freezing against the icy ground.

Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her towards a small wooden building just across from the barn, pressing her up against the door in the increasing darkness.

"Now, I don't usually do this, but I had a special request today. Looks like I'm not the only one who wants to make you suffer," he laughed in her face. "I'll be back in exactly half an hour to have my fun, but until then, you're hers. And believe me Nikki Alexander, you're little show in there has earned you no favours. I am going to make you scream and I'm going to make sure they all hear you. By the end of the night, you'll be begging me to kill you."

Nikki blinked, sighing to herself as he loosened his grip on her arm, before opening the door and throwing her inside, her knees buckling so she hit the dusty floor.

"Hello, Nikki," Julia's voice rang out through the room as she slowly pushed herself to her knees. She had known this was coming of course, and yet it didn't make it any easier.

She wasn't scared of Julia, not in the way she was with him. She knew that Julia couldn't hurt her physically, that was his job. But Julia knew Harry. She had spent the night with Harry, which was something Nikki had been longing to do for years, being able to wake up next to him and cuddle into his warmth with no awkwardness between them. Not that there was any chance of doing that now.

Harry had chosen Julia over her, and Nikki knew it. He had told Nikki himself, he didn't want her. But he did want Julia. And she had been happy for him. Briefly. She had thought that Julia was good for him, the way she made him smile. Properly smile. The sort of smile that lit up his eyes and made them wrinkle slightly at the sides.

Julia moved to kneel down next to Nikki, an evil grin playing on her lips.

"I told you I'd get to see you," she smirked. "I thought I'd let you know a few things before you died tonight, just to make you feel a little better, slot the pieces together for you, what do you say?"

Nikki was tired. Tired of their mind games and their messing around. Physically and mentally drained. Everything ached, she hadn't eaten in days, and her body seemed to be screaming out for sleep. And yet she knew she had to stay strong, she owed it to the other girls to at least try… Like Freya had said, she wasn't going down without a fight, no mater how tired she was. And at the same time, there was a small part of her that just wanted everything to end, one was or another.

"I'm going to tell you all about what happened with my sister," Julia smiled again, leaning in close. "And how I'm going to make Harry Cunningham forget that you ever existed."


	52. Chapter 52  Julia

**I think this is the longest chapter I have written for this so far... sorry! Hopefully it'll make up for the long gap slightly. Between dissertation, coursework and my godson arriving last week I've had no time, at all!**

**And this one was re-written so many times. Probably one of the most important chapters so far, and I _could not _get it the way I wanted it :P This will have to do tho :) Will try to update this and my other fics sooner next time!**

**But MASSIVE thank yous to everyone still reading, and to Thaliab, Izzy, gem.S, pinkswallowsun, dinabar, Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996 and Thyqua a GINORMOUS thank you for your amazing reviews :D**

**I hope this one makes sense, but if not, please do let me know! :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 52 - Julia

Nikki blinked, her face illuminated by the weak moonlight as she tried to focus on what was happening. Unlike the barn, the small building that Nikki now found herself in was in a serious state of disrepair, the wooden walls cracked and rotten, the roof collapsed at one end. It resembled a large shed, yet it was completely empty and obviously hadn't been used in years.

Sighing to herself, Nikki moved to lean against one of the walls, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Just get it over with Julia," she mumbled, looking round the room and away from the woman standing in front of her, her pathology skills running on overdrive. The other girls hadn't been in here, she could tell. There was no blood, and although the others had been stabbed where they were left, Megan hadn't. "I don't know what you think you'll get from all of this, but just get on with it."

Julia frowned, crossing her arms over her body and leaning against the wall opposite Nikki.

"What do you mean 'what I'll get from this'? I've already gotten so much-"

Nikki couldn't help the laugh that escaped, a tired, strained laugh as she leant her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, you really have achieved so much," Nikki sighed. "How long do you think it'll be Julia?"

"How long?" Julia repeated, confusion painted across her features.

"How long before he gets bored," Nikki asked simply, opening her eyes to look at Julia. "How long before you end up on the mortuary slab as his next victim."

"That will never happen," Julia smirked, yet Nikki could see her hands trembling. "Never. He would never hurt me. I am as much a part of this as he is. He couldn't do this without me!"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Nikki smiled, raising her eyebrows. "I mean, just think about it. You're blonde, you fit his age category- well, just about. You could go missing quite easily, couldn't you? And everyone would just presume that you were another victim."

"You mean like you did," Julia grinned again, kneeling down in front of Nikki.

"Like I did," Nikki nodded, the smile never leaving her lips.

She didn't know what it was, the reason for the smile to remain. Maybe it was the knowledge that everything was coming to an end, that there was no point in trying to fight it. Maybe it was the fact that Julia wanted her to scream, expecting her to give up and beg for freedom. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because there was still a tiny spark of hope buried deep within her soul, that was hoping, praying, that everything was going to be alright, and that he would save her like he always did.

"So how, exactly, did you get involved in all of this?" Nikki asked, tilting her head to the side. She could tell that Julia was going to talk, it's what she had been waiting for. Her last chance to confide in someone what she had done, knowing that Nikki would never be able to tell anyone. And the sooner she started talking, the sooner Nikki could stop. Her eyes already felt heavy, her whole body drained of energy. "I can tell none of this was your idea."

"I play a very big part in this actually!" Julia almost exploded, as if trying desperately to defend herself, yet Nikki didn't flinch. "How else would he be able to collect his angels if I wasn't there? You know, a friendly face to talk to, someone they wouldn't expect. They never saw him coming until it was too late."

"You're starting to sound like him. 'Collecting his angels,' come on Julia, I can tell by your voice that you know all this is wrong. What does he have on you?" Nikki asked, watching the anger flicker over Julia's features.

"Nothing, we are in this together, he _needs _me," Julia repeated, moving closer to Nikki and grabbing her by the top of the arms so she was staring right at her. "He needed me for every one of those girls, apart from you. Well, you and the first one he got, but she was stupid enough to step into the car with him. Thought that he was using her. And he was, of course, but not in the way that she thought. She was his fist one, the first of his collection. If only the other girls were as good as her, then none of them would be dead. It was their own fault.

"But you, Nikki Alexander. Like I said, you were different. If I had knocked on your door that night then there would have been a very little chance of you opening it to me, wouldn't there. You've never liked me, I can tell. What is it that you don't trust? The fact that you thought I was involved in all of this, or that I was able to get Harry and you couldn't."

Without thinking, Nikki pushed Julia's hands off her arms and moved away from her, running her hands through her hair and fighting the tears to stay away. Julia's manic laugh filled the barn as she began to pace the length of it, her eyes never leaving Nikki.

"I got it in one, didn't I? It was Harry. You hated me because I had him and you wanted him. Honestly Nikki, how long have you been working together? About eight years according to Harry. And in those eight years, you couldn't get him. What does that tell you?" Julia stopped, moving back to Nikki and kneeling down again. "He doesn't want you."

Nikki froze, the tears now so close to spilling over that she was angry with herself. Julia was right. He didn't want her, he had told her so himself. And suddenly Nikki was back at Harry's apartment, his strong arms wrapped around her as she leant her head against his chest, before he had pulled away, letting her look into his dazzling eyes that had become so full of emotions that she couldn't read. He had turned away from her, hadn't even wanted to look at her, as he spoke the words.

'I don't want you Nikki.'

And why would he after all. Julia was right. She had had eight years to make Harry want her, and she couldn't. She never would. Now it was too late to try any longer.

And just like that, the tiny spark of hope was gone, leaving Nikki feeling more empty and alone than ever before.

"So," Julia stood again, folding her arms and looking down on Nikki, who had tucked her knees up to her chin. "I thought I'd tell you what really happened, thought I'd be nice to you. You know, give you some closure to the case that you've now become part of."

"You mean you'll be just like the stereotypical side kick in some crappy murder film," Nikki raised her eyebrows, resting her chin on her knees. "Because that's what you are, aren't you? And that's why you're going to tell me everything that happened. Because you feel guilty, don't you? You never really wanted to get in so far, but now, now there's no way of getting out again. Not alive anyway."

"Shut up!" Julia shouted, her hands shaking again. "Just shut up. You don't know a thing. You don't know anything!"

"But I do," Nikki said casually, her chin still on her knees. "I've seen all the girls, remember. I've seen exactly what he did to them. And I guessed weeks ago that you were involved in your sister's killing, even though Harry said that you couldn't be, that the DNA wasn't close enough. The DNA that was found under Jennifer and Ray's fingernails didn't belong to anyone related to Jennifer. So who helped you Julia? Is that how you owe him, how you've become so caught up in it all?"

Julia paused, a grin reappearing on her lips.

"I _told _you," she smiled. "You don't know everything. You see, Jennifer and Ray, that was me. It had nothing to do with him, nothing at all! It was all me."

"But the DNA-" Nikki frowned, yet it was Julia's laughter that interrupted Nikki this time.

"The DNA was right. There would be no match between me and Jennifer. Because she's not my sister," Julia said blankly, the grin reappearing on her lips. "Not really."

Nikki opened her mouth to reply, yet found herself completely lost for words.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Julia laughed hysterically, tilting her head at Nikki. "Oops, I must have forgotten to mention it to Harry on one of our _drunken_ nights. One of those hot, steamy nights where I opened my heart to Harry and made him believe every word I was saying, whether it was the truth or not."

Nikki could see the anger reappearing in Julia's eyes, and felt her own hands begin to shake at the mention of Harry's name.

"You see, when I was three months old, I was adopted. I know how alike me and my sister look, but believe me that is complete coincidence, and when you look closely, you can see how different we really are. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin… yeah we shared those characteristics, but that's about all. I was adopted by Gloria and Frank Lyons after they tried for years to have a child of their own. And I, I was their little ray of hope. I was their family!" Julia's voice was getting louder as she paced the length of the shed.

"But then little Jennifer came along. Their _own _child. One that they never thought possible, and one that seemed to fit into the family perfectly. Unlike me. Yeah I looked similar, but I was completely different. We were never the happy family that we looked. I was never part of _their_ family. Not really.

"I wasn't good enough for them any more. Whatever I did, Jennifer could only do better. She always seemed to get the attention, and the praise, and the opportunities… I was shoved aside. I was the old model, the one that wasn't quite good enough. She had a family ready and waiting for her when she was born, and then she married, and started her new family, and everyone was so happy for her, and what did I have? Nothing, that's what I had.

"So I decided to change all that. I wanted what she had, and so I chose to take it," Julia was smiling now as she stopped in front of Nikki, kneeling down to her level once again as Nikki rested her head against the crumbling wall.

"You see, life is what you make it Nikki. And Ray was pretty easy to manipulate really. I could always tell he would be easy. I just battered my eyelids, acted needy, and within weeks I'd got him under my thumb. I'd got what was hers, and she hated it," Julia paused, before smirking at Nikki. "He was a little like Harry actually, the way he was so easily led."

Nikki wanted to scream and shout, wanted to lash out at Julia and hit her as hard as she could, wanted to make her stop talking about Harry and everything she had managed to do with him. But she was exhausted, her whole body still aching, and it was taking all her effort just to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

"It was your idea, wasn't it?" she asked eventually, deciding to stay clear of a conversation about Harry. "The playing cards, they were your idea. 'Happy Families.' Do you know how many happy families you helped to destroy?"

"Now you're getting there," Julia smiled again, and Nikki sighed. How could Harry put up with someone so annoying for so long? "I destroyed _her _happy little family. My perfect sister's perfect family, and all I had to do was sleep with her perfect husband."

Nikki watched as Julia began to pace the room again, her mind obviously elsewhere, before she suddenly turned to Nikki and smiled slyly.

"It was her _perfect_ husband that got me involved in all of this," her smile faltered slightly as she closed her eyes. "At the beginning, Ray was a part of everything. He was planning everything with him, and to be honest, I don't even know whose idea it was to begin with! Anyway, the closer I got to Ray, the more he told me about what they were planning, and then said that I could be part of it. I could help them to collect the girls. They never said anything about murdering them, just selling them to whoever could pay the right price.

"And at the very start everything was ok. Everything seemed to be working to our advantage, and there was no way that anything could go wrong."

Julia paused, turning to Nikki and shaking her head slightly.

"But then Jennifer found out what was happening, between Ray and I. She followed us, overheard everything and told us that there was no way she'd let us carry on. Ray managed to talk her round however, she was even more easy to manipulate than her husband. He told her that our relationship was strictly business related, and that what we were doing was for the best. That the girls deserved it, and that none of them would be hurt. She seemed to take it all ok at first, like she understood all the lies that we told her, but I know for a fact that she was just afraid of losing her husband. She would have done anything for Ray. She loved him more than anyone else in the world."

"And yet she was pregnant with some other man's baby," Nikki muttered, raising her eyebrows. "Are you sure you knew your sister? It wasn't Ray's baby."

Julia seemed to pause again, the emotions flashing over her features as she stared at Nikki.

"Did you even know she was pregnant, before Harry told you?" Nikki asked, feeling her eyes grow heavy and forcing herself to stay alert. "Did you know that you had murdered three people that night?"

"You don't know what happened!" Julia shouted, her eyes wide.

"But I thought that's what the point of all this was. I thought you were going to tell me everything, a chance to clear your conscience," Nikki said calmly, watching as Julia seemed to battle with herself as to what to say.

"My sister was not as innocent as you think," Julia eventually smirked. "She knew what was happening, and for weeks she let it go by without mentioning it to anyone. She even suggested a few of the people on our clients list, people that may have been interested in what we were planning. We didn't use anyone before we were certain of who they were of course, and at one point Jen even offered to help out with interviewing him. She-"

Julia froze again, turning away from Nikki.

"She went to his flat, she was supposed to ask him a few questions, make sure that he was safe enough to use. Tell him that all the girls were professional, tell a few lies to soften him up. She was supposed to be gone a few hours-"

Nikki laughed, and Julia turned towards her, her glare venomous.

"What?" Julia shouted.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "It's just, well, you were supposed to be telling me what happened, and so far it doesn't sound like you know that much. Your sister got pregnant by one of the men you were trying to sell the girls to, and you've only just worked it out. He really is the brains behind all this, isn't he? You just tag along for the ride."

"I am valuable to him!" Julia shouted again, her whole body trembling. "How else do you think he got the Ketamine to sedate the girls? Without it they would all have escaped, and none of this would have worked. That's the brilliant thing about all my patients being animals, they can't tell anyone anything. All I had to do was write on their notes that they had been given it, and no one notices when a few bottles go missing from the supply cupboard."

"Very clever," Nikki sighed sarcastically. "And I'm guessing that you felt as if you had to help him, after he helped you murder your own sister."

"I told you," Julia snarled. "He had nothing to do with that. That was me."

Julia stopped, before kneeling down in front of Nikki and placing her hands on her knees.

"A few weeks ago, you can probably remember the date better than I can, Jennifer arrived at my front door. She had had an argument with Ray, like I told Harry, and Ray had told her everything that had happened between us. How we were seeing each other behind her back. So she came round, started screaming and shouting and telling me that she wished I had never been adopted by her parents, that I didn't deserve to be part of their family.

"And then Ray tried to step in and she went mad, lashing out at him and trying to push him away. He threw his hands up to protect himself and caught her on the side of the cheek and she fell, knocking herself out. We panicked, knowing that she was going to tell everyone what we had done to the girls, what had happened to the first girl that hadn't done as she was told. You see, by this time, everything was getting out of hand. He had killed one of the girls, after promising that no one would be hurt. Jen found out after her picture appeared in the paper, and that's what started the whole argument with Ray."

Nikki closed her eyes and leant her forehead on her knees. The Ruby Wilson case seemed so long ago, and never for one second had she thought she'd end up in a situation like she was now the first day she had been given the Wilson case to complete.

"So then you murdered her, so she wouldn't tell anyone what you'd done. You murdered your own sister," Nikki muttered, not looking up. "She was your family."

"I hadn't planned to hurt her. Even when she was lying in my hall, after he had knocked her out, I didn't want to hurt her!" Julia yelled, and Nikki looked up. "You're right, she was my little sister, but she knew too much. She compromised everything. And so I phoned him, asked him what I should do, and he told me to get rid of her. But I didn't want to. I didn't want to hurt her."

Julia sighed leant against the wall opposite Nikki so she was sitting with her knees tucked up, mimicking Nikki's posture.

"Ray took her and put her in the car. We went to the river. And she woke up. She was so angry, and she lashed out at him again, but he grabbed her by the arms and shouted at her, told her that he didn't love her and that he never had. They argued, and he shouted, and then her hit her but this time he meant to hit her. He punched her and she fell. And she didn't get back up again. She'd hit her head on something, cut the side of her head, kind of in the same place as yours."

Julia paused and Nikki ran her fingers over the steri-strips on the side of her head. She'd forgotten about the cut completely in the last few days.

"He dragged her to the side of the river and pulled out a knife. Before I'd even realised what he was doing he'd cut her wrists, leaving her bleeding. I didn't want to hurt her…"

Julia trailed off, and for the first time Nikki saw real emotion in her eyes as she blinked up at Nikki.

"And so you killed Ray?" she asked cautiously, and Julia nodded slightly.

"I didn't know what I was doing. I knew there was nothing I could do to save her, there was just so much blood. He dropped the knife and started to walk away, and that's when I just- I don't know- snapped I suppose. I grabbed the knife and stabbed him in the back, and he fell into the mud. I watched him as he tried to pull himself up the hill, as he clambered in the mud, I just watched him. He'd hurt my little sister, his wife, he'd killed her. And then I turned him over, looked into his eyes, and plunged the knife into his chest, watching as he died."

Julia sighed again, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

"I told Harry, Ray hurt my sister. I would never, _never_ have hurt her like he did."

Nikki didn't know what to say as she watched Julia, didn't know what to feel. She was so tired of everything, of the waiting, knowing that she should be grateful for the few moments of numbness before he arrived. Before the pain started. She was just so tired…

"But everything is going to work out, I have a plan. You see Nikki, Jennifer may not have been pregnant with Ray's baby, but I am," she smirked, placing her hand over her stomach. "Out of all of this, I'm pregnant with his baby. But I've got everything worked out. Everything is going to be ok. Because when Harry finds your body dumped near his apartment, he's going to be distraught that he couldn't save you in time. And he'll be so grief stricken that he won't question the dates when I tell him that the baby is his. I'm going to replace you Nikki, and soon he won't even notice you are gone."

Nikki laughed, feeling the tears reappear and sting her eyes.

"I wouldn't count on it Julia," she said, hearing her voice falter as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, wobbling slightly. "He won't care. Like you said, he doesn't want me. I'm his colleague, nothing more, why would you want to replace me when I'm just someone he sees every day at work? But I know for a fact that he's going to see right through you. He's going to know that the baby isn't his, and he's going to work out that you're a part of all of this."

Julia smiled again as she busied herself with her nails, as if trying to avoid looking at Nikki now. Nikki glanced around the small room, her bare feet numb against the cold ground and the freezing temperature making her whole body tremble.

No one was coming. Not the police, not the search team, not even Harry.

Deep down Nikki had known this for a long time, and yet now, none of that seemed to matter. The only thing that did matter was the fact that Julia wasn't looking, there was a gap in the crumbling wooden walls only a few feet away, and she had promised Jessica that she was going to go home, going to get out of here before it was too late.

Without really thinking, Nikki edged towards the gap, thankful that it was large enough to fit through, and just as Julia glanced up, she slipped through it into the cold night, turning in the direction of the barn and running as fast as she could, her body screaming at her to stop.

Just as she reached the barn door, the sound of a car door slamming shut echoed around her and Nikki felt the tears finally escape and run down her cheeks.

This was it. He was coming for her.


	53. Chapter 53 – Conversations with Lottie

**:( I am SO sorry for the ridiculously long update time! I think 'death by coursework' was highly likely these past few weeks. Why have 4 deadlines in the same week! Sorry, moan over, butI really am so so sorry.**

**MASSIVE HUGE GINORMOUS thank you to everyone who's still sticking with this, and to Lizziginne, Terriah, pinkswallowsun, EmmaJ1996 (both your reviews), Izzy, gem.S and Thyqua for reviewing the last chapter, and to dinabar for all your PM's :) Seriously, this would have disappeared long ago if it wasn't for all of you.**

**Not entirely happy with this one but needed SOMETHING up! I haven't given up, promise :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 53 – Conversations with Lottie

"Harry, just go home, please," Leo sighed, watching as Harry hit his keyboard in frustration. "We're not busy, PM's are done for the day and I need you on backup call tonight, so just go."

"I can't," Harry muttered, his eyes fixed to his computer screen. "I've only been in a few hours. I haven't done enough. I'm not doing enough!"

"You are," Leo said, moving to stand in front of Harry. "Listen, there isn't a lot we can do at the moment, so why don't you go home, try to get some sleep-"

"I did sleep!" Harry shouted, looking up at Leo. "That's the whole point, I let her down! I met Julia, we went back to mine and then I fell asleep when I should have been out looking for her instead."

"Don't start all this again Harry," Leo sighed, leaning against the edge of the desk. "You need to rest, and its not letting her down. If you collapse at work from exhaustion then you'll be no good to anyone. I for one am glad you got some sleep. But I still think you should go."

"Leo, I-"

"I'm not saying I don't want you here," Leo cut in before Harry got the wrong idea. "But we're short staffed, obviously, and I need you to be able to focus when I need you. I'm on call tonight, but I need you to be alert in case I need someone else there. If you act like you're not coping in front of an officer they're going to report you, and then you're no good to anyone."

Leo was right, of course. The more Harry thought about it, the more he realised just how badly this was affecting him. He wasn't coping. Not in the slightest. And he felt completely useless, not being able to do anything to help her. Who knew what had happened to her already, and he hadn't been there to protect her. She could have been tortured, or left to starve, or… no. He couldn't let his mind think of any worse. She was still alive. She had to be. He would have known if something that terrible had happened to her.

It was like he was programmed to her somehow, enabling him to know exactly when she needed a cup of coffee, or a hug, or just to be left alone to calm down. And now, deep down in his heart he knew that she was still alive, still staying strong, fighting to get home just as much as he was to get to her. And that's why he couldn't give up, not for one second. Not after he had let her down so many times in the last few days. Because she never gave up on him. She had travelled to Hungary to bring him home, even though all she was expecting was a charred body and a passport with his name on it. She hadn't given up…

Harry sighed in defeat and locked his computer, turning to face Leo.

"If you hear anything-"

"You'll be the first person I call," Leo finished and Harry nodded. "I promise. Now go, I don't care where it is you go to or what you do, but sitting in here isn't doing you any good."

* * *

Harry had intended to go home, he really had, but instead he found himself standing outside the police station, the only light coming from the dim streetlamps that were at the bottom of the steps, bathing everything in an orange glow. It was still early evening, only just gone five, and yet the winter darkness had taken over, the moon only just visible behind the rainclouds.

Pushing open the station doors, Lottie noticed him almost immediately and gave him a small, sympathetic smile.

"Dr Harry," she greeted him, moving out from behind the desk and wrapping her arms around him in an unexpected hug.

Harry stood in shock, before relaxing slightly and hugging her back, noticing how different this hug felt from the ones that he gave Nikki. Usually, it was only Nikki that Harry would even consider hugging in public, other than his mother yet that was only when he was forced to. There was just something about having Nikki tucked under his chin that felt so natural, so right, and he didn't care who saw them.

Lottie was shorter, plumper, and smelled of lavender, and yet in that very moment, stood in the middle of the police station with countless officers filing past them, Harry was truly grateful for the affection from Lottie. Not even she could cheer him up with a smile today, but she had found the next best thing.

Eventually, Lottie pulled away and seemed to hold Harry at arms length, frowning at him slightly.

"You look exhausted," she commented, shaking her head. "You need to go home and sleep."

"You sound like my boss," Harry rolled his eyes. "What I need is to see Shaw."

"Shaw hasn't been here in hours, I think he's out with the search team."

"Maddox then."

Lottie shook her head.

"Nope, he's not been in either, even though he had scheduled a meeting for this evening."

"But I thought you said Maddox always stuck to his schedule," Harry frowned.

"Normally he does," Lottie nodded. "But I think he's been rather busy lately, you know, with everything that's going on. Don't worry Dr Harry, I know most of what's happened lately. You pick up a lot working in here. But they're doing everything they can to find everyone."

Lottie gave Harry another small smile and patted him on the arm.

"How about we go have a nice cup of tea, and then maybe by the time we've finished one of the detectives will be back, and you can speak to him?" Lottie suggested, taking him by the hand and leading him round the back of the reception desk before he could answer.

"Rose, will you cover the desk for me please?" she shouted round the corner to a young woman who was leant up against the wall, obviously flirting with one of the uniformed officers. "I think your break ended about half an hour ago, didn't it?"

Rose rolled her eyes and giggled at something the officer whispered in her ear before stomping back to reception.

"How many tea breaks do you need?" she moaned before she caught sight of Harry who still had Lottie's hand around his wrist, as if she expected him to run away when she wasn't looking.

"Oh Lots, I didn't realise you had a toy boy," Rose giggled, fluttering her eyelashes at Harry. "So that's where you're running off to."

Lottie pushed open the door behind the reception desk and motioned for Harry to enter, before turning back to Rose and shaking her head, closing the door on her giggles.

"Sorry about that," Lottie said as she poured the water into the kettle. "The only reason she's working here is because her mother is head of the HR department. All she does all day is mess around and flirt with every officer that walks past. Honestly, it's like working with a child."

Lottie paused, turning to face Harry who was still standing by the door.

"Take a seat, warm up a bit. It's freezing out there. How do you take your coffee?"

"Black," Harry said, sitting down on one of the low sofas. "Strong. No sugar."

"Complete opposite to mine," Lottie giggled. "Milk and three sugars for me. That's probably how I can maintain my figure."

Lottie chuckled, patting her stomach and Harry couldn't help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.

"She's lucky to have you, you know?" Lottie said, and for the second time in five minutes Harry found himself speechless. First the hug, and now her unexpected statements. She really was like Leo.

"Who is?"

"Dr Nikki," Lottie said, raising her eyebrows. "Who else?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply, before shutting it again and running his hands through his hair.

"No," Harry said finally, shaking his head. "She deserves better than me. All I've done is hurt her."

"Don't be stupid," Lottie sighed, passing his a steaming mug of coffee and sitting down next to him. "I saw you last week, after you disappeared into the ladies' bathroom to find her. She was upset, and when a woman is upset, the only people she wants around are the people she truly cares for, the ones she can trust. Believe me on this one. And who was it she rang to pick her up? You Dr Harry."

"What are you trying to say?" Harry asked, turning to face her. He barely knew Lottie after all, the only time he had ever spoken to her was when she was at reception. She was a friendly familiar face at the station, but he had never had an in depth conversation with her before. Those conversations were usually with another woman, someone he knew better than he knew himself.

"I've seen you Dr Harry," Lottie frowned. "I've seen you in the station on so many occasions, and you look… sad. I don't know how to explain it, you just look lost. Like you're longing for something, and you don't even know what that something is. And I've seen you with Dr Nikki. It's only briefly, I know. And you probably think I'm acting crazy, but I saw you when you walked out the station, hugging her tight. It was as if you were never going to let her go. And that look in your eyes, that longing, it was gone."

Lottie smiled, placing her hand on Harry's knee.

"It's not something you're looking for, it's someone. And you've found her. You know you have."

Harry could feel the tears sting the back of his eyes, but was determined not to let them escape.

"And now I've lost her again," he whispered, and Lottie patted his knee.

"Come on doctor, who said love was easy," Lottie smiled. "You're going to find her again, I know you are. You're going to make everything better, and you're going to fix everything that's broken. Ok?"

Harry nodded, a new determination seeming to bubble up within his stomach, filling his entire body. It was like a warmth running through his veins that had nothing to do with his coffee.

"I am," he said, looking at Lottie again. "I'm going to make things better."

"Good," she smiled. "You need to stay positive Harry, you really do. If you give up then she'll know."

"I'm never going to give up looking for her, not ever," Harry shook his head. "It's just- I don't know if she knows I'm looking for her."

"Of course she does!" Lottie said enthusiastically, yet Harry shook his head again, the new determination faltering slightly. "What have I just told you, I've seen you together. Seen _both _of you. And I- well, I'm friends with Janet, but that has nothing to do with anything."

"You're friends with Janet?" Harry asked, frowning slightly. "Janet Mander."

"Yup," Lottie smiled. "Have been for years. She's Professor Dalton's girlfriend, isn't she? I've heard a lot about all three of you. Not the cases obviously, just stories of how you and Nikki lead Leo astray on nights out, stuff like that. Girly talk, you know?"

"And what exactly did Janet say about me and Nikki?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"That would be telling Dr Harry," Lottie giggled, before looking at him seriously. "She just knows you deserve what you keep telling yourself you can't have. That you both feel the same way, and yet you're both too stubborn to admit it."

"You seem to know more about me than I thought," Harry smirked, and Lottie took a sip of her coffee as she tried to hide her smile.

"Yeah, well, like I said. Janet and I have been friends for a long time, and we can both talk for hours when the wine starts flowing," Lottie giggled. "Look Harry, you need to promise me something ok? When you find Nikki, when you get her back, you need to make sure that you never lose her again. That she'll stay with you forever, and not end up with someone that she wasn't meant for. Because you and Nikki, you have something special, and no one is ever going to take her place."

Harry stared at Lottie, completely and utterly lost for words. How had she done it? He had only known her as a friendly face, someone to moan to on the way in the station, and here she was, giving him advice on his love life and telling him that he was meant to be with Nikki. He really did need to have words with Janet when he next saw her.

"I can tell that Janet has spoken about us a lot then," Harry said, taking a sip of his quickly cooling coffee. "But she didn't tell you what I did to her, did she? How I hurt her, physically and emotionally, and how I told her that I didn't want her. I sent her away Lottie. She was standing in my front room, silently pleading with me to hug her and make it all better, and I sent her away. If I hadn't- if she had stayed, then she wouldn't have been at her apartment when he turned up. She wouldn't have gone missing-"

"Don't start blaming yourself," Lottie sighed, standing up and placing her mug in the sink. "Please don't. What you've done in the past doesn't matter, it doesn't count. What does matter is what you do now. You can make everything better. You can find her, and she will forgive you."

"She's already forgiven me," Harry looked into his coffee cup and started to swirl around the contents. "That's what makes it a hundred times worse, she's already forgiven me, before she had even turned up at my apartment. There was no reason for me to send her away, for me to hurt her again and lie to her. But I did anyway."

Harry stopped swirling his coffee and looked up at Lottie, his eyes swimming with emotions.

"Why did she disappear Lottie? Why did he take her away from me before I could apologise?"

"So you could find her again," Lottie answered, putting her hands on her hips. "So that you could find her and show her just how much you love her. So that you could act strong and show everyone that you'll never give up. Stop blaming yourself Harry, and stop feeling sorry for yourself. If you want to find her then go out and look. You know just as much information as Shaw and Maddox, you don't need them. All Nikki needs is you, and I know for a fact that she's waiting for you."

Harry nodded slowly, before standing up and pulling Lottie into a tight hug once more.

"Thank you," he whispered. "You're right."

"No problem," Lottie giggled as Harry let her go, placing his mug in the sink and making his way to the door. "Dr Harry, you make sure you both come and visit when you get her back, won't you? I've always got coffee in, or I can get something else if she'd rather."

"Coffee sounds good," Harry smiled. "I think pathologists survive on the stuff. See you soon Lottie."

"Bye Dr Harry."

Harry quickly left the small room and walked right past Rose the receptionist, who was leaning on the desk talking to the same officer as she had been previously. Harry could hear her whispers get louder as he passed, but ignored them completely, pulling his scarf tight in preparation for the cold evening.

The dark sky seemed to have darkened even further when Harry stepped outside, the freezing wind stinging his skin instantly, and the clouds heavy with the promise of rain. And yet Harry took a deep breath and grabbed his keys from his pocket. Lottie was right, he didn't need Shaw or Maddox's advice, he was going to find her.

Even if it took him for the rest of eternity, he was going to find her and fix everything.


	54. Chapter 54  Torture

**I am so so so SO sorry for leaving this so long! I really am. To say this has been neglected would be the understatement of the year! Between exams, work, sale prep and Christmas I've had no time, and then I somehow had a mental block with this one and I couldn't seem to finish it.**

**Until tonight, which is why it's getting uploaded at about 3am again. Ooops. I promise to try and update before I go back to school and have to focus on my dissertation again.**

**THANK YOU to everyone still sticking with this, despite the ridiulously long updates, and to Lizziginne, EmmaJ1996, Thaliab, pinkswallowsun, gem.S, Terriah, dinabar, Izzy, RiaMelia and Thyqua for your reviews. You really are the only reason this is still going, and are truly amazing! :D**

**Finally, as the title suggests, this isn't a very nice chapter, sorry. Just a warming. But it does mean the story is moving again,**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 54 – Torture

_Just as she reached the barn door, the sound of a car door slamming shut echoed around her and Nikki felt the tears finally escape and run down her cheeks._

_This was it. He was coming for her._

There was no time to think, no time to fall apart and scream, to worry and cry. Nikki knew what she had to do, before it was too late. Before he got to her and there was nothing else she could do to help them.

Reaching the barn, Nikki turned around, pressing her back against the wooden door. Her whole body trembled in the cold, her bare feet numb and goose bumps erupting over her skin. The sound of his footsteps were getting closer in the darkness, and she could hear Julia catching up. It would only be a few seconds before they got to her.

Fumbling behind her back, Nikki eventually felt her fingers glide over the cold metal lock that secured the door shut, and tightened her fingers around the bolt. She knew from being inside the barn that the lock was loud, and he would surely know if she was to unlock it now. The noise would give it away, and then there was no hope for the girls shut inside.

"Now Dr Alexander," his voice was close, sending shivers down Nikki's spine. "What did you think you'd achieve by trying to run away, hmm? You must have known we would find you before you could get very far."

Nikki blinked away the tears that had streaked her cheeks and pushed her shoulders back, trying to stand tall even though her legs were shaking. He wasn't going to destroy her, not now, not ever. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with her head held high, just like Freya had suggested.

There was no wind. Nikki smiled to herself slightly as she realised. It was raining, the cold droplets running down her already cold skin, but there was no wind. Which meant that the door wouldn't blow open if she got it unlocked. _When _she got it unlocked. She had promised them after all, and there was no way she could let them down now.

Nikki closed her eyes tight, taking a deep breath, and when she opened them again he was standing in front of her, a cruel smirk on his lips, Julia just visible a few steps to his right.

"There's no point in running any more," he laughed. "You must know that. Now, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

This time it was Nikki that laughed, her damp blonde hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Yeah, like I get a choice," she said, hearing her voice tremble.

"Oh but you do," he nodded, and Julia stepped closer to him, a manic look in her eyes. "I'm giving you the choice. Either you cooperate, and I'll make things a little _quicker_ for you, or you resist, and- well, you can probably guess what happens then. So, easy way or hard way, it's up to you."

Nikki froze, her eyes darting between Julia and the man in front of her. She knew that he was lying of course, she knew that he wanted to hurt her, wanted to make her suffer before he killed her. But if she was to just go with him, act strong like she had in the barn, then there was no way she could save the girls still inside.

"The hard way," Nikki smiled eventually, watching as Julia frowned at her, looking at him as if for some reassurance that she had heard Nikki right.

"Brilliant," he smirked, before moving closer to where Nikki was standing, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the lock, her breath quickening.

Within seconds his hands were clasped around the top of her arms, and she knew that there was no way she was escaping now, no way of running from him. Taking a deep breath, Nikki opened her mouth and screamed, at the same time pulling the lock open on the door, the dull thud masked in the sound of her lashing out at him, her throat aching as she yelled.

"Too late doctor, no ones going to hear you, no ones coming to save you now," he laughed, and Nikki relaxed slightly, the last of her energy leaving her, knowing that the door was unlocked, that they had a slight chance of escaping if she could stay strong enough for just a little longer, if she could get them some more time. And if he didn't notice that it was unlocked in the darkness.

Clamping one hand over her mouth, he moved in closer and pressed her against the door, until she could smell his stale breath on her skin.

"Don't you get it?" he smiled as Nikki struggled to take a breath. "This is it. This is always how it was going to end. Right from the very start, because you couldn't keep your nose out, could you? You had to do your job just a little bit _too _well. If you'd focused on the bodies, and left all the investigating to the police, then you wouldn't be in this mess, but no. You had to get involved. This was your own doing, and now, after everything, you're going to become the next in a list of names. Another face to grace the newspapers, and after time, you'll be forgotten. Just like the other girls. And nobody will remember Dr Nikki Alexander."

Nikki blinked, trying desperately to breathe, until he moved his hand from over her mouth and placed it around her neck instead.

"Harry and Leo will never give up," Nikki stuttered, her eyes stinging. "Not until they find you. Not until both of you are rotting in a jail cell!"

His laugh echoed through the wind, his hand growing tighter around her throat.

"You just keep telling yourself that," he smiled, and Nikki swung her arms out in his direction, at the hand around her throat, trying desperately to push him away as her surroundings began to blur.

Dropping her to the ground, Nikki gasped for breath, her hands trembling as he leant over the top of her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to her back to her feet. Her wrist stung as he pulled her in tight.

"Now it's my time to have some fun," he grinned, throwing Nikki to the ground, her head striking the hard surface and her surroundings blurring even more than before.

* * *

She must have blacked out. That's all she could think of as she lay on the hard, dusty ground, his voice muffled in the background. She could feel the sticky blood covering the side of her head where she had hit it, and the dull thud behind her eyes only confirmed her suspicion that she had been knocked out.

And that's why she was now in the dark room, trying to focus on her surroundings, trying to listen to his voice.

"I told you, you had an hour, and that hour is up. Now go away and leave us alone. You'll know when to come back."

Nikki heard Julia walk to the door, before stopping and turning back to him.

"I just have a phone call to make first," she smirked, glancing at Nikki who had managed to push herself to her knees, her head still thumping.

Shooting him a quick glance, he nodded, a cruel smirk appearing on his lips, before taking out a silver lighter and lighting a cigarette, leaning against the wall to watch.

Julia stepped towards Nikki and crouched down beside her, her mobile in her hand.

"You know who I'm going to phone, don't you?" she smiled, and Nikki felt a lump form in her throat, the tears threatening to reappear. Of course she knew who she was going to call. This was Julia's last chance to inflict as much pain on Nikki as possible, and they both knew that this was going to be much worse than anything he had planned for her. This was the worst form of torture Julia could think of, and it was the kind that would inflict the most pain.

Standing up again, Julia smiled, holding her phone to her ear and tilting her head at Nikki.

"Don't even try to talk to him," Julia warned. "Because if you do, then everyone else will pay."

After a few seconds, Julia frowned, before smiling widely again.

"Harry, hi!" she grinned, her eyes wide. "Yeah, I know, but I was missing you."

Nikki felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of Harry on the other end of the line, as if somehow he was now that little bit closer. And yet there was no way that she could tell him where she was, not without endangering the other girls.

There was no way of telling him goodbye.

"Oh not much," Julia smiled. "Just finished work, going to go shopping, what about you?"

There was a pause, and Julia raised her eyebrows at Nikki.

"Really? Sounds great," she smiled. "Well, what are you doing later? Nothing? Well, what about a repeat of earlier?"

Julia giggled, biting on her lip.

"Yeah, I thought so too," she glanced at Nikki, who was now leaning against the wall, her knees tucked up to her chin and her eyes fluttering closed slightly.

"Brilliant. I love you too, see you soon," Julia sighed, and Nikki suddenly felt the tears escape at her words, running down her cheeks and onto her knees. She didn't know why it was those words that had affected her most, why they hurt her so much, and yet they did. He loved her. He loved Julia. He had just told her so on the phone. It was just three stupid little words and yet it was the three words that she had been longing to hear escape Harry's lips and be meant for her. And not just in an 'I love you as a best friend' kind of way.

Harry never told anyone he loved them. The only person Nikki had ever heard him say it to in the past was his mother, and yet he had just said it to Julia. She couldn't be happy for Harry, not now that she knew what Julia was involved in. Why couldn't he just find someone who made him happy, and who would always make him happy, for the rest of his life, without hurting him in some way.

"Good girl," his voice was patronising, close to where she was sitting and she glanced up at him, rubbing away the tears from her eyes. "You've just given them a few more days by managing to keep your mouth shut."

Nikki remained silent, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would reveal just how scared she was.

"Julia, go," he said lazily, and Julia smirked at Nikki, waving her fingers at her as she left the room.

"See you later Nikki," she called, before freezing in the doorway. "Oh wait. Maybe I won't."

Her laugh seemed to remain in the room even after she had closed the door behind her, and Nikki felt all the energy that remained leave her body as she realised that this was it. It was only him left in the room with her, ready to do as he pleased.

Crouching down beside her, he took hold of her chin and moved her head so that she was looking straight into his eyes.

"What am I going to do with you Dr Alexander," he sighed, shaking his head. "You see, I need to use you. I need to do this to you, because if I don't, then I run out of time. I know how close the police are getting, thanks to your little bit of information, and so I need to throw them off the trail. Make you different, and yet the same. Get it?"

"I don't care," Nikki mumbled, staring blankly at him. "I don't care what you do to me. I don't care what you tell me. I know you're a sick freak, I know how you've managed to get away with this for so long. I know that Harry and Leo are going to work it out, and then there'll be nowhere to run. I really couldn't care less what you do to me, because you're not going to get away with this, the other girls will be found before you can hurt them any more. Get it?"

The look in his eyes was venomous, and yet he managed to keep his voice steady.

"No, they won't," he shook his head. "That's just it. You see, I've found someone. Someone who can pay, someone who was looking for a _pure angel_. He's willing to pay whatever I ask to make sure that he gets her, and he will. He'll get her, for as long as he likes, to do whatever he likes."

He smirked, leaning in closer.

"He's going to break her," he laughed. "He's going to push her over the edge, and with her broken, the rest of the girls will fall just as easily. You can't stop me from hurting them. Once he's had Jessica, I have no need or her. There's no way she'll ever be able to work again, and so I'll dispose of her. In front of the others. Just like I did with Megan. But this time, I'll make sure I drag it out as long as possible, so they all know what to expect when their time comes."

"Jessica's strong-" Nikki shook her head, and yet his laughter interrupted her.

"Strong? Please Nikki, she's pathetic. Just like her father, moping around the station, falling apart every two minutes. She won't last an hour after my client's finished with her. I'll make sure to give her back to her dad though, don't worry. He'll get his daughter back, eventually. It might not be in the way that he was wanting, but he'll get her back."

"You're sick," Nikki frowned, her whole body trembling. "You're not right in the head. You're supposed to _help _people, not abduct them, torture them. You're not meant to kill them!"

"Where's the fun in helping people?" he laughed, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her to her feet as he stood himself. "Watching them scream, watching them cry, begging me to stop. That's much, much more fun."

Nikki's legs wobbled, not having the strength to remain standing, before he threw her to the floor again, leaning over her to press her hands to the side of her head so she was flat on her back.

Her wrist stung as he held her hand down, running the fingers of his other hand down the side of her face.

"What a mess," he smirked, lifting up her hair that was covered in the drying blood from the side of her head. "Looks like I'm not the only one who wants to hurt you."

His fingers stopped at the steri-strips above her eyebrow, and she closed her eyes tight as he leant down towards her ear, pressing her hands to the side again as he did so.

It took all her strength to not scream out as his entire body weight leant down on her wrists, and yet she managed to keep quiet, the tears stinging her eyes.

"It looks like the bruise on your neck is forming nicely," he said quietly, as if she was some sort of experiment he had been studying. "That'll be something your friends will be looking out for, isn't it? A similarity. What else will they be looking for? Oh yes, signs of torture. Bruises elsewhere."

He chuckled in her ear, before moving quickly, pushing himself to his feet and pressing his foot down on her chest before she could move, just as he had done with Megan.

"How much is it going to take to make you scream Nikki?" he said and Nikki's eyes flew open. "Just enough so you can't breath?"

He pushed his foot down harder, and Nikki could feel her breathing becoming more difficult, her fingers digging into the gravely ground.

"No. What about a broken rib, will that make you scream, make you beg me to stop?"

He pushed down on her chest harder, and Nikki could feel the tears escape, running down into her hair. His heal dug into her ribs and she knew it was only a matter of time before the same sickening sound that she had heard with Megan echoed through the room.

"Well well doctor, I am impressed. The others had given in long before now," he laughed again, pressing more of his weight onto her chest.

She didn't know what came first, the crack of her ribs that she had been expecting, or the scream that escaped her lips, all Nikki knew that in a split second both seemed to sound at once, mingled together with the cruel laughter from the man standing over her.

It was becoming an effort to just keep her eyes open, every breath a struggle. Nikki blinked and saw him crouch down beside her again, pulling her head to the side so he could look her in the eyes. Her whole body ached, her ribs felt like they were on fire, and her chest was tight, yet she refused to cry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The tears that had escaped were bad enough, but she would not openly cry in front of him.

"Are you going to beg me to stop yet?" he asked, his expression unreadable.

"Never," Nikki whispered, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Well that's too bad," he said, shaking his head. "I was prepared to change my mind and put you out your misery quickly. But now, I don't think I will."

He stood up and started to pace the room, his hand in his pocket. Nikki knew this was all a game, all a way of keeping himself entertained. There was no way he was going to kill her without hurting her first, he had planned all this after all. He had planned everything. Every detail.

He turned towards her again, the dim light from the moon forcing its way through the small window and illuminating his face, shining off the silver cigarette lighter in one hand, and the blade in the other.

"What else will your friends be looking for?" he frowned. "Oh yeah, that's it. A stab wound to the abdomen, wasn't it? I'll leave that one until later, just to make sure you stay awake long enough to protest. I can't have you passing out before I've finished with you, can I? A stab wound to keep the similarities. To make sure they know it wasn't someone else's handy work. But I need something different too, don't I? You see Dr Alexander, you have to be my distraction so I can move the other girls. So I can get them somewhere they won't be found, before Jessica is taken to her client. I can't lose that much money from him. I can't be found now, not after all the hard work."

He crouched down beside her and dropped the knife to the ground, taking out a cigarette and lighting it in front of her, blowing the smoke above her head.

"Something different," he smirked, twisting the cigarette between his fingers and leaning in close to Nikki again, the smell of the smoke hanging in the air.

She knew what was coming, could see the end of the cigarette glowing, and could feel her bare skin shiver at the very thought.

Soon it would be over. Soon she would never have to feel the pain again. His breath was warm against her skin as he smirked at her.

"Something else to make you scream."


	55. Chapter 55  Put Her in the Car

** I think I start every chapter with a SORRY! don't I? But I really am sorry for always leaving it so long! Blame the coursework, and my uselessness.**

**But thank you so so so SO much to everyone still reading and sticking with this. And a MASSIVE thank you and a million hugs to Lizziginne, Terriah, Rachel, pinkswallowsun, dinabar, gem.S, Missy Mayhem, Cherry43, Izzy and Thyqua for your reviews. You are all beyond amazing!**

**Hope this isn't too depressing or too much. If it is, please let me know! I do know where I'm going with it, promise :) Even though it's ended up a little (a lot) longer than I had imagined it :S**

**More Harry and Leo next chapter too :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 55 – Put Her in the Car

The pain that shot through her body felt like a thousand burning needles, piercing her through to her very core, and yet Nikki kept her eyes closed, focusing on keeping her breathing steady.

She could feel the warm blood trickling down her skin, her shirt sticking to her abdomen as the pain erupted through her body with every breath. Forcing her eyes open slightly, she could see him standing above her, cleaning the small blade with a handkerchief he had taken from his pocket, his gaze fixed on Nikki.

She had known it was coming of course, even before he had placed the knife to her skin, his free hand snaking around her neck to keep her still. She had known that he was going to hurt her, and yet the pain had been unbearable. Nikki had heard the screams echoing round the room before she'd even realised they were hers, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop them as he slowly plunged the knife into her body, stopping every few seconds to taunt her, spit poisonous words from his lips, before continuing.

He was right. He was making her the same as the other girls, torturing her before he finally killed her. There was no blood splatters… Nikki sighed. How could she still be thinking about a crime scene when she was part of it? But it was true. No blood splatters, a stab wound to the abdomen, bruising to the neck. It was like some sick form of OCD, he had to have everything planned out and calculated. He knew what he was doing, and yet Nikki could see just how much it annoyed him to make her different.

As he said, she was the distraction. She had to be different to get everyone thinking, to distract them long enough for him to escape, and take all the girls with him. But it had angered him, making her different. She could tell. It ruined his pattern, shifted things out of place. He had hated it just as much as Nikki as he pressed the burning cigarette to her skin, she could see it in his eyes.

There was a knock at the door, and he mumbled his permission for her to enter the room.

"Everything ready?" he asked as soon as Julia had opened the door.

"Yeah, I think so," she nodded, holding out a small pack or cards.

He took them and rolled his eyes, reluctantly tipping them out of the box and into his hands.

"You want to make sure they know it was us, don't you?" Julia said, nodding to the cards. "I know this one is different, but-"

"I know," he said loudly. "This was a stupid idea in the first place, but it's going to look suspicious otherwise. It has to be different though. The same but different."

Julia tilted her head and smiled down at Nikki, who was trying desperately to keep her eyes open, to not give in to the darkness that was threatening to take over. Pulling out a pair of surgical gloves, Julia put them on and outstretched her hand.

"I have an idea," she said, and he raised his eyebrows. "Trust me, give them here."

He handed over the card and Julia moved towards Nikki, leaning down next to her and picking up her hand that was covered in blood.

"Perfect," she smirked, turning Nikki's hand over and pressing the card to her fingertips so they left a line of bloody fingerprints on it. "The same but different. Do you want to take some blood, I have a needle in my pocket?"

"No," he said, moving towards the door. "We don't need any now that you have it on the card. The blood from the other girls has been disposed of now anyway, we have no further use for it. We don't want to leave anything behind that they could trace back to us. Put her in the car."

"But-" Julia stammered, looking from the door to Nikki and back again. "But we can't, can we? I mean, there's too much blood. Why make all this effort to keep everything hidden, to keep our fingerprints off everything, to then have the car contaminated?"

He shrugged.

"It's your car, not mine."

"And I am not going down for this while you go free!" Julia shouted, her hands trembling.

"Well then, you'll have to think of something, won't you?"

Julia's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open as she looked up at him, his eyes holding no emotion.

"Where are we leaving her?" she asked.

He tilted his head as if in thought before smirking.

"Somewhere she'll be easily found. We need as much time as we can get, so the quicker she's found, the quicker they're distracted. The Lyell Centre car park ought to do."

Julia nodded, before a smile covered her lips that mimicked his.

"What about _her_ car?" she asked, nodding towards Nikki. "We still have it, don't we? It's still round the back of the barn. We could use her car and leave it in the car park. Then, if it's seen on the CCTV cameras, we can't be linked to it. If it has traces of this place on it, it doesn't matter because by the time they find out we'll have moved. We just have to be careful not to leave any evidence behind. It's perfect."

He stood at the door for a few seconds, before slowly nodding his head.

"We'll do that. You drive her there, keep to the quiet roads, I don't want to be seen. I know it'll take longer but its dark, and by avoiding as much of the city as you can you're avoiding cameras. Leave the car at the Lyell, I'll meet you there. Look out for me when you get there, but be careful. There shouldn't be anyone around by the time we get there, but the last thing we need is for someone to notice her car."

Julia nodded again.

"And how much Ketamine do you want me to give her. Enough to knock her out completely, or-"

"None," he shot, his eyes stern. "She'll be dead by the time you get to the Lyell anyway, so just let her suffer."

* * *

Nikki blinked, her eyes heavy as she managed to force them open slightly, trying to take in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that the hard ground she had been lying on had been replaced by a softer surface that smelt strangely familiar. It was the smell of vanilla, and leather, and… cleaning polish. And it was then that Nikki realised it was her car.

The vanilla was from the small air freshener that she had attached to the front seat, so it wasn't hanging down from her mirror. But it was the smell of leather and cleaning polish that reminded her so much of her car. Harry had cleaned it out for her a few weeks ago after she had fallen in the mud at a crime scene. The Yates' crime scene to be exact. She had complained for days that her car was filthy, and it was all Harry's fault for getting her up in the middle of the night to help him, so he had reluctantly agreed to clean it for her. She had expected a quick hoover and polish, but he had done it properly, making sure every surface shined and there was absolutely no trace of mud left behind. No wonder his car was always spotless when he could spend hours at a time cleaning it on his day off, just for fun.

The second thing Nikki noticed was that she was moving. The soft purr of the engine vibrated slightly through the back seat, and forcing her eyes open wider she could see someone sitting in the driver's side.

Nikki tried to force herself to sit up, but she didn't have the energy. Every muscle in her body was screaming in agony, and she could feel the blood running through her fingertips as she placed her hand to her side. She knew she was loosing blood, and before long she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes open any longer, but for now she managed to push the pain to one sidelong enough to concentrate.

The blonde hair that fell over the shoulders of the woman in front confirmed that it was Julia, and Nikki sighed slightly. Of all the people on the planet, she didn't want Julia to be the last person she saw before the darkness took over. Not when she knew what she was planning, with Ray's baby, and with Harry…

Harry. Why was it every time she thought of him she felt tears sting her eyes? She would give the world just to see him one more time, if only for a few seconds. To see him smile at her, the light glinting in his eyes and the creases forming on his features. He hadn't smiled like that in what felt like forever. Not a smile where she could see his back teeth and the laughter in his eyes. Not since before Hungary had she seen that smile, and she had promised herself that she would make him smile like that once more. But now she'd never get the chance.

It was getting harder to breath, to keep her eyes open, as Nikki desperately tried to focus on what was in front of her. But everything was blurring past the window in the darkness, and she could just make out faint outlines of trees.

Nikki sighed again. Being in the back of her car, trees passing by the window, was just a reminder of how easily she managed to get herself into trouble. The case at the dog home seemed to swirl around in her mind, reminding her of how she could have run, could have escaped, and instead she had stayed to help them, stayed to try and save the very people that had grabbed her and pointed a gun to her head. Was she really that desperate to help everyone, even if they didn't need saving? And what good was she anyway? Adrian Burney had still had his brains blown out in front of her. She didn't save him. Didn't help him. She had put herself in danger, and what for?

Was that just the same as what she had done tonight? She had run, had escaped from Julia, and had made her way straight to the barn to try and open the door. Ok, so she didn't have the energy to escape properly, not without being caught, but she hadn't even thought about it at the time. As much as she longed to be home, to be back with Harry and Leo, she had gone to the girls. And then chosen the 'hard way' as he'd put it, just to make sure she could unlock the door without him noticing.

But for what? Would the girls really be able to escape? Could they actually manage to get away, to hide with Freya's friend long enough to ensure their safety? Or had he gone to check on them when Julia had been talking to her? Had Julia locked the door again as he was torturing her? There was no guarantee that they were anywhere nearer escaping than they had been at the beginning of the day.

She had to think positively. This was nothing like the incident with Adrian Burney. But he had found her that day. Harry had found her, had searched for her, hadn't given up until she was back with him, even after their stupid argument about his new teaching post in America. He had found her, and held her tight and made everything bad disappear, just for a moment, when she was in his arms. Nikki couldn't work out what she wanted more now. If this was so different to that case, then the girls would escape. Everything would be worth it, all the pain and the torture. And yet at the same time, although she felt guilty for even thinking it, she wanted it to be the same. For Harry to find her and make everything better again, even if it looked impossible to do so…

Julia suddenly hit the steering wheel, making Nikki jump, as she took out her mobile, flicked through the phone book, her eyes darting between the road and her phone, before placing the mobile to her ear. Nikki could see her eyes flicker to the mirror to check on her, and she quickly closed her eyes.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," she muttered to herself, before leaning her head back and sighing. "Harry," she said brightly, keeping all obvious annoyance from her voice, and Nikki listened carefully. "I must have missed you again, I hope you're not too busy. I was just waning to know if you wanted me to come round tonight. We could have a repeat performance from earlier if you want, or, you know, we can talk or something. Anyway, let me know as soon as you get this. You don't want me to start worrying that you're not picking up your phone, do you?"

Julia giggled childishly before continuing.

"I've got something important to tell you actually," she added, her tone of voice changing slightly. "Well, it can wait if you're really busy, but I'd love to see you if you have the time. Just for a quick drink, or to talk through things, or anything you need. Anyway, call me, yeah? Love you."

Nikki kept her eyes closed as she heard Julia end the call, her mind working overtime. Had Julia said sorry she'd missed him _again_? Line she'd phoned him before and he hadn't answered. But she'd phoned him when they were in the barn. They'd had a conversation. He'd told her he loved her. Or had he? Had she really spoken to him earlier?

The thought that maybe, just maybe Julia had made it up, that Harry hadn't said he loved her at all seemed to give Nikki a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach, warming her up more than she ever thought possible. She knew Harry was stubborn, that he had to calm down before he could think clearly. He was always the same, blaming himself when he hurt her. But maybe after calming down he'd forgiven himself. Maybe he was looking for her.

Breathing deeply, the pain shot through her ribs again, her whole body aching, and the small ray of hope that had just built up dissolved. It was too late this time. If Harry was looking for her, he was too late. She could feel her body giving up, no matter how much she fought against it.

Opening her eyes slightly, Nikki could see Julia flicking through her mobile once more, glancing up at the road every few seconds. It was hard to guess the speed they were going, lying on the back seat, but Nikki could tell that it was fast for the narrow roads they seemed to be on.

The darkness was growing even darker now, everything was blurring, both outside and inside the car. Julia turned on the radio, the music erupting from the speakers as she gripped the steering wheel. Nikki could feel her chest tightening, her head spinning with the darkness and the noise, and the loud blare from Julia's phone that seemed to ring above the radio at its own, ear piercing frequency.

"Harry?" she answered it quickly, the music still vibrating through the speakers. "Oh, it's you. Yes I'm on my way."

There was a pause, and Nikki could see Julia's other hand grip the wheel tighter.

"No. I can't tell, it's too dark. I haven't seen her move. Of course I haven't been distracted by him! Yes, I phoned him, but I don't know where he is. I thought if I distracted him then you'd be able to slip the card somewhere in the Lyell for them to find. I have it with me. It's, it's here somewhere. Hang on-"

Julia glanced round the front of the car, before spotting something on the floor next to her and bending down to get it, tucking her mobile between her ear and shoulder as she did so.

"It's ok, I've found it. It was-"

But before Julia could finish her sentence, the car was suddenly filled with light and Nikki soon realised that Julia had steered the car towards the right as she had leant over to get the card, so that they were now in the wrong lane.

Julia sat up immediately, dropping her phone to the floor as she grabbed the wheel with both hands in an attempt to steer it back on to the correct side of the road. But it was too late. There was nothing she could do. The lights were too close to escape.

Closing her eyes as tight as she could, Nikki braced herself for the impact she knew was about to come, managing to tuck her knees up slightly.

The squealing of tyres on gravel and the crashing of metal was deafening, as Nikki was thrown forward on impact. The car spun, the windows smashed, and everything seemed to happen at once, the chaos and noise and the fear.

And then, after what felt like forever, and at the same time only a split second, everything was silent.


	56. Chapter 56  Impact

**I don't think 'sorry' will make up for it this time, will it :( but I really am VERY sorry for the long wait. Dissertation's are evil :'( and had to make some big choices about a job when I've finished my course, so been slightly (understatement!) stressed lately.**

**If I promise to share Harry when I kidnap him, will you forgive me? :) Asked for him for my birthday, but it's not looking hopeful :p so kidnap it is :)**

**THANK YOU times a million gazillion to all you wonderful people who have stuck with this, and an even bigger thank you to the amazing Terriah, Lizziginne, Rachel, EmmaJ1996, gem.S, dinabar, pinkswallowsun, Izzy, freddie97, Thyqua and Clem for your reviews :D**

**And thanks to everyone who read my latest one-shot 'Resolutions', despite it being so late :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 56 – Impact

Nikki's head was pounding, a high pitched ring reverberating around her mind as she squeezed her eyes closed, her chest tight, her entire body aching. The music had stopped, the only sound that of her own rapid breathing as she tried to work out what had just happened.

They had crashed. Head on collision by the sounds of it, the way she was thrown forward on impact, the way the light from the other car's headlights had shone through the front window. And it had been at speed. Julia had been distracted by the phone call, hadn't had time to move out the way, to break.

Moving her arms slightly, Nikki tried to work out if she had injured herself any in the crash, and yet the pain that shot through her ribs seemed to take over any other pain as she cried out slightly and felt the tears run down her cheeks.

Nikki knew that she had to move. Even though the very thought of moving seemed impossible, she knew that this may be her last chance to escape. To get away from him. She didn't know where he was now, but she couldn't stay and hope that he wasn't near by. He had been talking to Julia on the phone just before the lights had filled the car, which meant that he had most likely heard the crash. He would know something was wrong. He would be on his way. She had to move, and quickly.

Pushing herself up slightly, her arms shaking, Nikki blinked her eyes open, clenching her teeth against the pain that filled her body. If she could just make it out the car, in to the trees, then she could hide. Hide long enough for Julia not to find her, for him to arrive and give up trying to look for her. Long enough for Harry to find her like he always did.

She just wasn't sure if she could hold on long enough to see him one last time when he did find her.

Everything seemed to go out of focus as Nikki reached up to the door handle, opening the door and feeling the cold air wrap around her bare arms. Just opening the door was exhausting, but she knew that she had to get out the car before Julia saw her.

Julia was still in the front of the car, and turning round slightly she could see her head leaning to one side, a long trickle of blood running down the side of her head. She didn't seem to be moving, and so Nikki pushed herself towards the door and out onto the gravely road.

The cold air seemed to force Nikki back into reality somehow, and holding onto the side of the car she managed to pull herself to her feet, instantly regretting her actions as the world spun around her as she steadied herself against the car.

Breathing deeply, Nikki moved around to the other side towards the front driver's door, stopping at the sight of Julia slumped to one side and covered in blood, her eyes open in an unseeing stare.

She was dead.

Nikki had seen more than enough bodies in her line of work to know that Julia was most definitely dead, before even having to check her pulse.

Moving slowly away from the car, Nikki steadied herself against the other car that was crumpled to the front of her own, and made her way to the driver's side again.

The second car had one passenger, a male in his late thirties, dressed in a smart suit which was also covered in blood. Reaching in through the smashed window, Nikki's bloodied hand found his neck and checked for a pulse, sighing slightly when she found nothing.

'Another one of his victims', she thought to herself, glancing around her, but all she could see in the darkness was the crumpled mess of metal that had once been two cars, and the long line of trees that lined the road.

With her heart thumping, Nikki took another deep breath and headed towards the trees away from the chaos.

* * *

Harry Cunningham sat in his car outside his apartment, his head leaning on the steering wheel. He had been driving along the riverbanks since he had left the police station, Lottie's words seeming to give him a new hope that he was going to find Nikki, and yet he had found nothing. Nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary, nowhere that she could have been hidden, held against her will.

He knew that, according to Nikki's evidence, the flower pollen that had been found on the clothing of the girls was from a flower that was found near water. But not normally at this time of year. They must have been somewhere warm enough for the flowers to blossom, and yet there were so many places in London that were near a river that Harry had felt the hope melting as he drove for hours on end.

Harry breathed deeply, trying to think of something that he had missed. Something that would tell him exactly where the other girls were. But he couldn't think of anything. He should know where she was! He should be able to tell, be able to sense somehow where she was. Nikki needed him, now more than ever, and he couldn't find her. Couldn't help her. Couldn't save her…

Yelling out, he punched the steering wheel in frustration, causing the horn to blast out through the street. He was useless. A useless best friend. This should never have happened, would never have happened if he had looked after her better in the first place. Hadn't lashed out or pushed her away.

Just as he was about to start the car again, ready to continue driving even though he had no idea where to go next, his mobile began to ring in his pocket. Taking it out he glanced at the name on the screen, before answering quickly.

"Leo-" there was a question in his voice, he knew that Leo would hear it, but there was just a sigh in reply from his boss.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I know I told you to go home, but I've got a call out. RTC near Perivale Wood, on one of the country lanes. Two cars involved, don't know that much yet, but I'd rather have someone else there with me, if you're up for it?"

It was unusual, Leo asking Harry if he wanted to go instead of telling him to, and Harry appreciated it. But he knew that he should probably go, if nothing else to take his mind off of everything for an hour or so. If that was even possible.

"What you mean Leo, is that you have practically no directions, and know you'll get lost without me there," Harry tried to laugh, but it just caught in his throat.

"Yeah, you got me," Leo replied, but his response was just as strained as Harry's. "I'll pick you up from yours in five, ok? You are at home, aren't you?"

"Eh, yeah," Harry sighed. "Kind of. I'll be outside waiting. See you soon."

Harry hung up before Leo had a chance to say anything else and rested his head back on the steering wheel.

"I'm not giving up Niks," he muttered into the darkness. "I promise. I promise I'm going to find you."

Taking a deep breath, Harry wrapped his coat tightly around his body and stepped out into the cold, the rain now more of a light drizzle, hanging in the air. Just being out the car, with nothing to do but stand and wait for Leo to arrive seemed to make Harry even more frustrated than he had been in the car.

Thankfully, Harry didn't need to wait long before Leo arrived, and Harry stepped back into the warmth, stretching his bare hands out to the heater. There was silence between the two, before Leo broke it.

"I do think I need an extra pair of hands tonight. I'm not, you know-"

"I know," Harry nodded. "You're not just trying to distract me. To be honest, I think I need it."

Harry sighed.

"Leo I've looked everywhere I can think of," he said desperately, glancing in the direction of his boss. "Everywhere. But she could be anywhere at all Leo, and I should _know _where she is."

"Harry, stop it. Seriously, stop blaming yourself because there is nothing you can do at the moment," Leo said gently. "Just get through this case ok, take your mind off everything for an hour or so, and then we'll start again in the morning when it's light. We'll find her. I promise."

Harry glanced at Leo again and then back out the window, grateful for Leo's encouragement, but knowing that he didn't need to say anything else.

"So," Leo said, obviously feeling the awkwardness in the silence. "You seen Julia recently?"

"Hmm," Harry replied blankly.

"Is that hmm yes, or hmm no?" Leo pressed and Harry sighed, turning around again. Leo obviously wanted to talk, to distract him.

"Hmm yes," Harry sighed. "I seen her earlier. She eh, she came round."

"Oh," Leo said quietly before frowning and changing his tone of voice. "Oh, right. So it's going well then."

"Just say it Leo," Harry sighed. "Just say whatever you're wanting to say."

"I didn't mean anything by it Harry, I was just wondering how serious you and Julia were, that's all. You know, because sometimes, when something like this happens, it changes things. Priorities and, well-"

"No, it's not serious," Harry cut in, knowing what Leo was trying to say and wanting to stop the awkward conversation. "She rang me today, a few times actually, and I hung up on her. I couldn't speak to her, couldn't even answer the phone."

"Why?" Leo frowned.

"Because every time it rang, I grabbed my phone, wanting it to be one person. Hoping that somehow, it was her on the other end, ready to tell me exactly where she was so I could find her and make everything better. I wanted it to be Nikki, and so when I saw it was Julia, I couldn't bring myself to speak to her. Does that make any sense?"

"Of course it does," Leo smiled slightly. "You know, when things get bad, when you realise what you could lose, everything seems so simple. You know how you feel Harry, and I know for a fact that you've felt that way for a long time. And in Budapest. Well, Nikki realised what she could loose too, she told me in the hotel room… she said some things."

"Things?"

"I've told you before Harry, I'm not telling you what she told me, you have to ask her yourself. And you will be able to ask her yourself, as soon as we find her," Leo smiled again, before squinting at the road in front of him. "Harry is this the right way?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, leaning forward slightly. "Just keep following the road. I think I can see flashing up ahead, the police must be there already."

Sure enough, as they approached it was obvious that the road was blocked with police cars, and before they knew it a uniformed officer was indicating for them to stop.

Leo rolled down the window and flashed his ID to the officer, who nodded after a quick check.

"Sorry, you'll have to walk from here on," he stated, turning in the direction of the RTC. "Roads completely blocked up ahead."

"No problem," Leo killed the engine and stepped out the car, pulling up his hood as the rain seemed to have started to fall heavily again. "You coming Harry?"

The site looked like a typical case, with the SOCO team and police mingling around taking the preliminary pictures and searching for evidence of what could have happened. Harry met Leo at the boot of his car to collect their cases, not bothering with a hood but letting the rain fall across his face.

"We have two bodies," one of the officers stated. "One in each car. A female in the one nearest us, and a male in the other, both look to be in their mid to late thirties. Both in the driver's seat. Looks like a simple head on collision, but we need you to verify for us, and let us know how they managed to crash on a straight stretch of road."

"We'll do what we can," Leo nodded. "And we'll let you know what we find, but obviously we will know more when we get the bodies back t to the lab."

Harry noticed a few of the officers from the station, and could just make out the forms of the cars as they both began in the direction of the impact.

"Harry I was thinking," Leo said, turning towards him. "You could stay with me and Janet tonight if you like. We'll probably end up working late tonight anyway, and if we're both going out to search tomorrow morning before work, it would make sense."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry nodded, wanting nothing more than to be left alone again tonight, no matter how much he liked Leo's company.

"I thought too, I have a few maps at home, we could trace the area that you've checked already…"

Harry could hear Leo talking, but was no longer listening. He had frozen, his eyes glued to the back of the car in front of him as the lights that crisscrossed through the darkness from multiple police torches shone against the boot.

He hadn't noticed his hands shaking until Leo gripped his arm tightly.

"Harry, are you ok?" he heard him say.

But Harry couldn't move. He was staring at the car that was now visible through the torch light. The back of the silver BMW was facing his direction, the front of the car a crumpled mess, the bonnet misshaped as it wrapped around the front of the other car. The other car that was just visible in the distance facing the opposite direction, the full extent of the damage not yet visible.

"It's Nikki's car," Harry managed to force out, his gaze never leaving the car in front.

Leo stared at Harry as he tried to process the information.

"Harry, what-" he started, but Harry cut him off as he forced himself to look at Leo.

"The car is Nikki's," he said slowly. "The one right in front of us. The one that we have just been told has a female body inside that we have to investigate."

Leo shook his head and turned towards the car that Harry was now staring at once more.

"It can't be Harry. There's hundreds of cars the same as hers. That look the same. It will be a different car," Leo tried to reason. "We can't make out the number plate from here-"

But it was Harry's turn to shake his head as his legs gave way and he fell to the ground.

Because even from the distance he was standing, Harry could make out the unmistakable yellow scratch along the bumper of the car that had been made when he reversed into the bollard outside the Lyell Centre just weeks before.

It was Nikki's car.

And there was a body inside.


	57. Chapter 57  The Search

**Slightly quicker this time, but still longer than it should have been :s I'm really sorry!**

**A MASSIVE thank you to every single person who is still reading this after a year! Seriously, how has it taken me this long? A special thank you to Lizziginne, Missy Mayhem, EmmaJ1996, Thaliab, Rachel, dinabar, pinkswallowsun, Izzy, gem.S, freddie97 and anonymous for your reviews of the last chapter! Tried to make this one a little longer :)**

**It probably would have been up earlier if I hadn't got distracted by the new video interviews :s hehe.**

**Hope its ok :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 57 – The Search

"Harry. Harry listen to me. Harry-"

Harry could hear Leo's voice beside him, could hear the words drift through his mind, and yet he couldn't do anything. Couldn't move.

"Harry, stand up. Now."

The force around his arm quickly pulled him to his feet, and he found himself eye to eye with his boss, who had his hands on Harry's shoulders as if to steady his shaking legs.

"Pull yourself together Harry. You're no good like this."

"But," Harry couldn't breathe, couldn't work out what was happening. All he seemed to be able to see were the flashing lights from the police cars in the background, and Leo standing right in front of him. "But it's her car. It's Nikki's car Leo, I know it is."

Leo turned to the crash site and then back to Harry, nodding slowly.

"Ok Harry. Ok. I'll go. I'll go and have a look. You stay here, and then I'll come and get you, yeah? Just stay here for a few minutes," Leo said slowly.

"No Leo. I can't let you- they said there was a body. A female. What is it's her Leo? What if it's Nikki, it's her car. I can't let you-"

"We have to know Harry. Either way, we have to know. You know we do."

Harry breathed deeply, his hands shaking.

"I know," Harry nodded. "I know. But you can't do it on your own. If it is- you shouldn't have to do it on your own."

"Right, ok," Leo turned towards the crash site again. "Let's get this over with."

The walk to the car felt like a thousand miles to Harry, his feet protesting with every step, and yet the closer they got, any doubt that he had that the car wasn't Nikki's vanished. It was most definitely her car. No question about it. Same make, same colour, same number plate. And same yellow scratch that he had promised to get repaired.

Harry moved as if on auto pilot, his mind busy running over every possible scenario as to why Nikki's car could end up here, involved in a head on collision. He had seen hundreds of dead bodies in his years as a pathologist, but the more Harry thought about it, even if the walk to the car _had _been a thousand miles long, it still wouldn't give him enough time to prepare if it was Nikki.

The rain had began to fall again, and seemed to be getting heavier, the cold droplets quickly soaking their skin. It was only when Harry and Leo got to touching distance of the car did they stop, both letting out a breath that they hadn't noticed they were holding.

"Body's in the driver's seat," one of the officers called over from the other side of the car. "Same with the other car."

"Thanks," Leo nodded politely, before turning to Harry. "You ready."

Harry couldn't reply, couldn't even take his eyes off the car. He felt useless, like he was letting Nikki down somehow, but he just couldn't bring himself to move. On every other occasion, when Nikki had been in danger, Harry had seemed to move without thinking, ending up by her side before he even realised. Like he knew without a seconds thought that Nikki needed him.

And she needed him now. Whether it was Nikki in the car or not, she needed him. But what if he had been too late? What if this time, he hadn't managed to get there to save her in time? He didn't think he could bring himself to see her dead, when there was still so much of him that believed she was alive, waiting for him to find her.

Leo's grip on his arm suddenly brought him back to reality, and he managed to tare his gaze away to look at his boss. Leo simply nodded, and turned away, not having to say a word. He knew exactly what Harry was thinking, and as much as he hated the thought of Leo having to be the one to confirm his worst fears, his feet felt rooted to the stop, incapable of moving.

Harry's attention was now fully on his boss, his heart beating faster than ever before. Every muscle in his body seemed to tremble, and his eyes prickled with unshed tears, as he watched Leo crouch down by the door and look inside.

It was only for a few agonising seconds, and yet when Leo reappeared, the look on his face sent shivers down Harry's spine. It was almost unreadable, the expression. He didn't look distraught, like Harry knew he would if he had just seen the body of someone he thought of as a daughter, and yet there was still something there that told Harry that this was more than a simple RTC. There was… pity. That had to be it. Pity, and confusion, and a hidden 'sorry' that would have left his lips if he hadn't known Harry would be able to see it in his eyes.

"Harry, you need to come here," there was definitely something wrong. Leo's tone of voice just confirmed it. "Now Harry. You have to see."

Slowly, his aching legs still protesting, Harry made his way over to the driver's side of the car and stopped by Leo, who nodded in the direction of the body.

Taking a deep breath, Harry turned to look through the door, and felt his stomach churn immediately. The blonde hair fell in front of her pale skin, her head tilted to the side, and the blood running down the side of her head. It was like the body they had found outside the Lyell Centre, the young woman whose face had been hidden beneath her long blonde hair. And Harry felt it just as difficult to move it away from her face.

Reaching out a shaking hand, Harry pulled back the woman's hair and instantly jumped backwards, away from the car, running his other hand through his own hair.

"Shit Leo," he mumbled, his voice cracking. "It's- but why was she driving Nikki's car? Leo why was Julia driving Nikki's car? Was she involved, was she another one of his victims? Was- Leo- why? Shit."

Harry's hands were shaking uncontrollably now, and Leo seemed to have frozen, not quite sure what to do either. Yet it was only for a few seconds, and soon he had turned back to Harry, grabbing his arm again.

"We'll find out Harry. We'll do the PM, well, I'll do the PM. You can't be involved, you knew Julia too well. And then we'll get the car tested, see if-"

"We don't have time for any of that!" Harry cut in, throwing his hands up in frustration. "We need to check the car, we need to see if there's anything we can work with now."

"You can't be involved with Julia Harry. I want you to go to the other car, look for-"

"No," Harry cut in again, shaking his head. "I need to check Nikki's car first."

"I know you had feelings for her Harry. For Julia," Leo said gently. "She was your girlfriend. I know you're still worrying, but you can be upset you know."

"I don't feel anything towards her Leo. Not any more. Not for a long time," Harry admitted. "The more I think about it, I don't think I ever really had feelings for her. I liked her, yes. But I liked her just as much as I liked all the other girls I picked up at the bar and shared a bed with. There was nothing special about her. And I'm sorry that she's dead, after what happened to her sister, but I honestly don't feel like I've just lost someone close to me."

"You're in shock Harry. You must have some feelings-"

"Of course I do!" Harry sighed, turning away from the car. "Of course I do Leo, but why is she there? Why is she in Nikki's car? What if- what if Nikki was right? What if-"

Harry spun round again so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, as he stumbled back to the car and pulled open the back door before Leo could stop him. Even without leaning in Harry could see the blood covering the back seat, soaked into the fabric. Using the car to keep his balance, he moved around to the other side and took the handle, feeling the door open easily in his hand.

"Leo, this side was open," Harry muttered, more to himself than to his boss. "There was someone else here, someone else in the back of the car. And they're- the blood. Leo."

Harry cursed himself for acting so stupid, for not being able to form a simple sentence, and yet he couldn't help it. It seemed impossible to speak when his mind was already going through every possible situation.

Leo appeared at Harry's side and moved him away from the door so that he could take a closer look, a small torch in his hand. Harry waited a few seconds, before the fears built up and he had to voice them.

"Leo what if it was her? What if it was Nikki, and she's here somewhere, waiting for us to find her?"

Leo stepped back out the car and sighed again, running a hand through his rain soaked hair. Harry had never seen him look so distressed, he was usually the one that seemed to hold everything together. And yet even he was slowly coming away at the seams.

"And what if it wasn't?"

"It doesn't matter. There's still _someone_ here, someone that was in the back seat," Harry said quickly, turning towards the trees. "And we need to find them before it's too late. Look at the blood!"

"I know," Leo nodded slowly. "I know. Stay here Harry, ok. Don't go near Julia, you can't be involved with her now. I'll inform the officers, let them know we're looking for someone else that could have been in the car. Just stay here, or have a look around the other car. Don't do anything stupid."

"Like what?" Harry frowned, and yet Leo just raised his eyebrows and disappeared towards a group of officers that were standing by the trees.

Harry could feel his heart facing, the lump in his throat making it hard for him to breathe steadily. Everything around him was screaming, the sirens and the noise from the officers. And yet, through the chaos, there was only one thing that Harry could think about.

What if Nikki had been right all along?

He knew he shouldn't go anywhere near Julia, not when Leo had given him specific instructions to stay away. But when did he ever listen to Leo, especially when Nikki was involved? He had to know. Harry had to know if Nikki had been right. If he could have stopped all this weeks ago, before Nikki went missing. Before the other girls were murdered.

Opening the driver's door again, Harry stared at the lifeless form of Julia, her eyes staring into the darkness. It was true what he had told Leo. Looking at her now, the light gone from her eyes, her face covered in blood, Harry felt nothing. As if he was looking at another innocent victim, a random stranger that just happened to cross his path. He hated the thought that he could feel so heartless, and yet there was only one person on his mind, a certain blonde that was always on his mind, and the worry he felt in not knowing where she was overshadowed any feeling he may have had towards Julia.

Leaning in closer, Harry started to search for any signs that he knew would be present if Julia had become another one of the killer's victims, desperate for some sign that all this, despite it being a tragic loss, could somehow give him clues to find Nikki. And yet there was nothing. No bruising on the neck, no stab wound to the abdomen. Julia looked like she had died from the impact with the other car. A head injury by the looks of it, and probably internal bleeding of some sort. It was all looking like a terrible accident. Yet it didn't change the fact that Julia was driving Nikki's car, and the blood…

Harry signed, running his gloved hand down Julia's arm to her hand that lay limply on the seat. And that's when he spotted it. The small glimpse of white on the floor next to the foot peddles. Using his torch, Harry shone the light onto the floor, and leaning over managed to carefully pick up both the small card and Julia's mobile that also lay there.

It wasn't until it was in his hand that Harry suddenly realised what the card was, and felt stomach flip at the very thought of it. It was another playing card. Another Happy Families card, the very same as all the other girls. Harry held the card in his shaking hands, staring at it yet unable to turn it over. It was covered in blood, like every other card, and would have an occupation painted across its surface.

"Harry, I told you to stay away from the car. What have you-" Leo stopped mid sentence as he got closer to Harry, suddenly realising what it was that Harry was holding. "What does it say?"

Harry shook his head, the words lost again, and Leo slowly reached out and took the card from him, taking a deep breath before turning it over.

It only took Harry a second to read the words on the card, and he had to lean against the car to stop his legs from buckling underneath him. The card was covered in a line of bloody fingerprints, the grotesque image of the character still visible underneath. Yet this one was different. Altered. Made to suit the victim precisely.

'Miss Dose. The Doctor'

The rest of the text, the line that was supposed to read 'The Doctor's daughter' had been scratched out, tearing the top layer of the card to leave a tattered mess, and only the words that fitted. The Doctor. Not the doctor's daughter, or wife or son. Not even Mr Dose. It was Miss. It was her.

"Harry. Harry listen, it still doesn't mean its Nikki does it. Julia was a vet. She was a doctor-"

"Then why didn't they use Miss So-and-so, the bloody vet! I'm sure there's one around somewhere, isn't there? He's managed to fit every other card into his twisted game!" Harry felt terrible shouting at Leo, yet it was like something had taken over his actions, feeding on his fear.

"Or maybe not. It could still be Julia."

Harry stared at Leo, his chest tight, before turning back to the car and Julia again.

"Harry what are you doing?"

Harry ignored Leo, leaning down and taking Julia's hand in his own, turning it over to inspect the fingers. They were clean, not a spot of blood on them unlike the side of her head.

"Unless she was cleaned straight after, those aren't her fingerprints," Harry stuttered, stepping back once again. "I know that card wasn't meant for Julia. I just know it."

Turning over the phone that was still in his hand, Harry quickly unlocked the screen to find a list of numbers in the phonebook, as if she had been talking to someone the last time she had used it.

"I'm sorry Leo," Harry said, looking up at his boss, who shook his head slightly, as if he knew what Harry was about to do. "I have to. I'm sorry. Nikki was right, wasn't she? She was right about everything, and this is all my fault."

Turning away from Leo, Harry made his way to the nearest officer and handed over Julia's mobile, explaining where it had come from, before pulling off his surgical gloves and dropping them at his feet.

"Harry," Leo called after him as he reached the trees, and he turned to see Leo watching him. "Be careful. Please."

With a simple nod, Harry turned away from the crash site, and disappeared into the trees as fast as he could.

* * *

She dragged her bare feet through the floor of leaves that clung to her damp skin as she moved. The rain was falling heavily, and the cold wind continued to whip around her making her shake uncontrollably. She tried to focus on her breathing, but every time she inhaled she could feel her chest tighten and her breath catch. She couldn't focus on her surroundings, a fuzzy haze settling in her vision as she stumbled from tree to tree.

Night had arrived fast and the only light that graced the surroundings came from the moon that struggled to make an appearance through the rainclouds. And yet she managed to keep walking. Walking in no direction in particular, just moving as far away as she could from the nightmare she had escaped from.

Time passed as she walked through the trees, her bare arms clutching her body as she shivered and her lips turning blue due to the cold and loss of blood. Her thin white shirt had been soaked a dark red and she had a metallic taste in the back of her throat. A recent gash above her right eyebrow now seemed to be the smallest of her injuries, although the once white steri-strips that had secured the skin were now soaked red from a new injury on the side of her head.

Staggering into another tree she tried to take a deep breath and felt the last of her energy leave her body, collapsing to the hard ground. The trees around her rustled in the wind, and she could feel her eyes become heavy as the world around her began to disappear.

Clutching her ribs she felt the pain shoot through her body once more as the warm blood ran through her fingers. Pulling her knees tight into her chest she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to retain the last of her body heat.

Her eyes drifted closed, and her breathing became laboured as she tried to switch herself off from the situation she had found herself in. And as the darkness engulfed her completely she managed to whisper a single word.

"Harry."

* * *

Harry didn't know where he was going, couldn't see his way through the thick trees, and yet he kept running as fast as he could, shouting Nikki's name into the darkness.

He knew she was here somewhere, closer than she had been all week, he could almost feel it, and yet he still had no idea where he was going. Every part of him was screaming to search in a different direction, and each part was terrified that his feet were taking him in the wrong direction. It had to be Nikki that was in the car. It had to be. He was getting closer, he just hoped that he wasn't going to be too late.

"Dr Cunningham!"

Harry knew who was shouting. He recognised the voice. The growl that dripped with authority and arrogance. But he didn't turn round, instead quickening his pace as he stumbled blindly through the trees.

"Dr Cunningham, stop!"

He couldn't stop. Not for one second. Because there was blood, so much blood, and it was Nikki's car, and she wasn't there. She wasn't there but Julia was… and Julia was dead. And Nikki had been right, Harry knew that now. Julia was involved so much more than he ever thought possible.

"Harry!"

Harry glanced over his shoulder momentarily, his feet still taking him through the trees, just in time to see the hand grab his shoulder and stop him in his tracks. Without thinking, Harry turned to face the detective, swinging his fist towards his face as he did so, but it was caught before he could make contact. Harry stared into the eyes of DCI Maddox, his fists tightly clenched and trying to hide his shaking.

"You're going the wrong way," Maddox stated. "That way leads to a main road, we would have found anyone by now. We need to search that way."

Harry glanced to Maddox's outstretched arm, as he pointed in the opposite direction to which Harry had been heading.

"Let go of me," Harry pulled free from Maddox's grip. "Why should I trust you Maddox? Why are you even here? How did you know where I was, who I was looking for? You're not interested in helping Nikki. The last time you met her you threatened her!"

Harry could feel his hands shaking again and tightened them back into fists.

"I'm sorry if it sounded like a threat," Maddox said calmly. "But I can assure you, it wasn't."

"Why should I trust you?" Harry repeated, stepping closer to Maddox.

"You shouldn't," Maddox replied, turning away from Harry. "You should never trust anyone. No one but yourself. And even then, you need to question if it's really the right decision."

Harry froze, torn between wanting to desperately search for Nikki and confronting Maddox.

"I'm on the same side Harry. I'm trying to help you. You and Nikki. And all the other missing girls," Maddox said. "I'm not asking you to trust me. Just believe me. I'm going this way, so you can either carry on the way you were going, which I still say is the wrong way, or you can follow. It's up to you. Trust yourself to make the right decision. For Nikki."

Harry hesitated, glancing in the direction he had been going and then back to Maddox, who had already began to make his way through the tangled trees. How could Harry seriously consider following this man, after everything? After everything that had happened at the station between him and Nikki, everything he had said and done involving the cases. He didn't trust Maddox in the slightest, and yet when he thought about it, what he was saying made sense. If someone was going to run, they would want to hide.

"I must be desperate," Harry muttered to himself, knowing full well how true his words were. He was desperate. He had never felt so helpless in his life, and as much as he hated to admit it, he needed help. Anyone's help.

After one more glance in his previous direction, Harry turned and followed Maddox, catching up quickly.

"Good choice," Maddox muttered.

"It better be," Harry sighed, quickening his step. "Because there's no way I'm leaving here until I find her."


	58. Chapter 58  Follow Your Gut

**I need a whole lot more than 'I'm sorry' this time, don't I? But I really really am sorry. Dissertation and exams took over completely, and basically had no life other than work :p But hopefully I'll have more time now until exams are over :)**

**Not had a chance to proof read this one yet, so let me know if you find any mistakes :)**

**THANK YOU to everyone who hasn't given up on this. And a special, MASSIVE thank you to freddie97, Lizziginne, pinkswallowsun, dinabar, Terriah, Rachel, EmmaJ1996, Izzy, gem.S, Thyqua, lithy and Lia. You are the reason this has continued this far :D Love you all!**

**I promise to update sooner :D**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 58 – Follow Your Gut

It felt strange, following Maddox through the trees, his feet carrying him along without thinking, clenching his shaking hands so as not to hit Maddox while his back was turned. He didn't care what the Detective had told him so far, he couldn't bring himself to trust him as they made their way across the sodden ground, the wet leaves sticking to their shoes and the rain falling off the end of Harry's hair and running down his nose.

Everything looked the same in the darkness, the trees blending together to form one long wall of leaves and trunks which seem to close in around Harry as he stumbled forwards, his eyes darting in all directions in the hope of finding something, anything, that could give him a clue. A direction in which to follow. But there was nothing. Everything looked exactly the same.

"I thought you said you knew where you were going!" Harry shouted eventually, feeling the anxiety build up inside him to boiling point. "We've been walking for ages, and have got no where!"

"I didn't say I knew where I was going," Maddox corrected. "I just said that the way you were going was the wrong way."

Harry glared at Maddox, his mind running over time, and yet unable to think of something to say back. Maddox hadn't stopped moving, his large frame stomping through the trees at ease, his head snapping from side to side, as if he knew exactly where he was going. But he couldn't know. Everything looked the same in here.

There were so many emotions running through his mind that Harry couldn't concentrate. How had he gotten into this situation? How had any of them managed to get to where they were now? How had he gotten to the point of wandering through the darkness in search of his best friend? Again. It was by no means the first time he'd found himself in this situation, searching, waiting for a sign that she was ok. There had been so many times he had sat in Leo's office, staring at his mobile, willing it to ring, for her voice to travel through the phone telling his that she was ok. Or walk back into the office, heels clicking on the polished floor, her smile all he needed to be reassured that everything was alright, that he could hug her and feel her resting under his chin, where she seemed to fit so perfectly.

But this time was different. He could feel it. Because this time, there was a small voice lurking in the back of his mind, taunting him. Telling him that this time, he wasn't going to find her. He was too late. Had lost her forever.

And it was all his fault.

He had sent her away when she was silently pleading him to make it all better.

He had told her he didn't want her, and now he could never have her back.

It had never been like this, she had never been gone for so long. He could remember so clearly the images that had haunted his dreams so many years ago when he had found her in the hospital basement, the sickening crimson blood an all too vivid reminder of how close he had come to losing her.

What if he hadn't been there, in the basement, just minutes away from her when she was attacked? What if she had been left alone, with no one knowing where she was? Would she have survived? Would someone have gotten to her in time to save her?

The sudden realisation of the situation they were not in seemed to wash over Harry, and before he had worked out what was happening, he found himself leaning against a tree trunk, his stomach threatening to empty its contents where he stood, and his mind spinning. What if she had been alone, with no one knowing where she was, injured and helpless? Just like she was now.

This was all his fault, Harry thought as he pressed his head against the rough bark. He had promised himself he would keep her safe, and now…

"Dr Cunningham?"

The sound of Maddox's voice seemed to pull Harry back to reality, and he turned around to face the officer, trying to compose himself yet unable to hide his shaking hands, which he pushed into his pockets.

Maddox frowned, producing a torch and shining it into Harry's face, squinting as he did so, as if questioning why he had stopped. Harry silently pleaded to himself that Maddox wouldn't notice how red his eyes were, how close he was to tears, as he blinked them away.

"I just- I just needed to-"

"There's blood," Maddox interrupted, stepping forwards slightly.

"What?" Harry questioned, his hand moving instinctively to his face.

"No, behind you," Maddox stated, moving closer still. "That looks like blood, doesn't it?"

Harry frowned, turning to face the tree again, the bark now illuminated in the torch light. And sure enough, just where Maddox was pointing the light at the pale tree, there was blood. A handprint. Smudged along the bark.

Harry felt sick again at the sight of it, his fingers shaking as he placed his hand above it, careful not to touch the bark itself and trying to work out if it was the right size to be hers. He knew it was though. Something inside his heart told him that it had to be.

"I think it's this way," Maddox nodded to his left, towards the trees. "It looks slightly clearer this way. Keep a look out for another sign as we go, maybe if we follow the blood-"

Maddox trailed off as he started walking again, and yet Harry stood still, staring at the handprint. Her handprint. She had been here; he had to be getting closer. But it just didn't feel right, following Maddox, and he couldn't explain why. He just knew that he had to go the other way.

"Dr Cunningham, are you coming?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "No, I'm going this way."

Harry heard Maddox sigh into the darkness as he turned towards him again.

"You do remember our conversation before, don't you?" he questioned. "When I told you you were going the wrong way."

"Yes," Harry emphasised. "But this time I'm telling you. I _know _it's this way."

"Like you knew before?" Maddox laughed. "Harry, you can't keep thinking you know where she is, you have to think logically."

"What, you have all the answers, and I'm just imagining things. Is that it Maddox?" Harry knew he had raised his voice, but made no attempt at lowering it again. "What makes you so special? Why should I listen to you, follow you. Why are you even here, it was a simple RTC. There was nothing to indicate that it had anything to do this case. Or the Yates."

Maddox was silent as he stared at Harry, before turning on his heels and walking away.

"I say we go this way," he stated, clicking his torch off again and pushing it in his pocket.

"And I say we don't," Harry shouted back, taking one last look at the blood on the tree that was now hard to see in the darkness, and setting off in the opposite direction.

"Fine," Maddox called back. "I'll phone you when I find her."

Harry wanted to shout something back, anything, any yet he couldn't think of something to say, and so he nodded his head to himself, and quickened his step. He knew this was the right way. There was something in his gut that told him so, and his mother had always told him, 'trust your gut Harry. Believe in yourself to make the right decision.'

If only he had listened to his mother earlier, none of this would have happened. But his mouth had acted quicker than his mind that night. The night he had sent her away. The night he ruined everything.

Just keep walking. Follow your gut Harry. Keep walking and don't give up. It was like a chant inside his head, reminding him that there was no way he could stop now. Not when he knew he was so close. And yet it terrified him that he could walk right past her and not notice, becoming further away from her with each passing step. Maybe Maddox had been right, maybe he should have followed him. He was right earlier after all. As much as he hated to admit it.

That didn't change anything of course. He still couldn't stand the man, didn't trust him in the slightest. Why was he here anyway, there had been nothing to suggest that this was suspicious, not at first. Not until they had found the blood in the back of the car, had linked everything to Nikki.

The sudden buzzing in his pocked made him freeze on the spot, his heart skipping a beat. Maddox had said he's phone if he found her. What if he had, what if he had found her and was calling to tell him that- well, it didn't matter what he told him. What if Maddox had been the one to find her, not Harry? It was supposed to be Harry, he was supposed to make everything better. It wasn't meant to be like this.

With a shaking hand, Harry pulled his mobile from his pocket, a breath escaping that he hadn't noticed he was holding when he saw Leo's name on the screen. He wanted to find her of course, for anyone to find her and make sure that she was ok, but he didn't know how he would cope if someone rang him to tell him she had been found. Alive or otherwise.

"Leo, have you heard anything?" he answered the call, aware of the noise from the other end of the line. It sounded like Leo was still at the crash site.

"No, not yet. Have you?"

"Nothing," Harry shook his head, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"Harry, listen. I've just had Shaw on the phone, he called as soon as he realised what was happening. I think one of the officers this end let him know. He's trying to round up as many officers as he can, start a search team. I'll let you know as soon as they get here, ok. It won't just be you looking, help is on its way."

"It's not just me," Harry said. "Maddox is here too."

"You're with Maddox?"

"I was. We've split up now," Harry looked around, imagining Maddox standing right behind him, following him through the trees. But there was nothing. No one.

"Right," Leo said slowly. "Harry, why was he-"

"I don't know," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know Leo, and I don't know if I trust him. We split up, and now I'm scared that I won't be the one to find her. What if he does, and does nothing? What if-"

"Harry, stop it," Leo said forcefully. "Everything will be ok. We'll find her. You will find her. Maddox is a DCI, you can trust him. Even if you _do _hate the man, you can trust him, he's there to help you."

There was a silence between them as Harry closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath.

"I know," he said finally. "It's just so hard. I need to keep going Leo, I need to-"

"I know, go," Leo said. "And ring me as soon as you hear anything. Or if you need me at all. I'm just going to finish up here, and then I'll be searching with Shaw and the team, ok? We will find her Harry."

"Thanks Leo. Bye," Harry muttered, unable to think of anything else to say, and dropped his phone back in his pocket. With a search team on its way, surely that meant it wouldn't be long until she was found. But it was still too long, she was still waiting for him out there, somewhere.

Why did they always need a situation like this one before they faced up to their feelings? Why was it that after everything that had happened between them, all their arguments and nights out, and hope that things could become more, they had stayed in the same position as they always had been. They'd grown closer of course, over the years, after Hungary and the difficult cases where they had realised all they needed was each other, and yet nothing had come out of it, as if they were both too afraid to take the next step.

But that would change now, Harry thought. He would take that step for both of them, step into the unknown and hopefully take Nikki with him. Because right now, the thought of loosing her forever was too overwhelming to think about anything else. No, he was going to tell her how he felt about her, and if she didn't feel the same way, then he would forever be grateful that she was still his best friend. Because he knew now that they always would be. No matter what came between them, or what he said to her.

He had to make everything better. One way or another.

It was dark. Really dark, as Harry continued to stumble through the trees, his eyes squinting at the trunks in search of another sign of blood. But without Maddox's torch, it was impossible to notice anything.

The wall of tree trunks had seemed to grow thinner slightly, the ground soft beneath his feet with the soggy leaves. It was so dark. Everything was black, and green and brown and…

And there was something else, just in front of him. A small glimpse of white, just visible in the darkness, drawing his nearer. It was definitely white, not fitting in with the natural surroundings. As he got closer he could make it out clearer, the whiteness. It was a shirt, belonging to the small frame that was tucked up on the wet ground, her blonde hair covering her face and bare arms almost the same colour as her clothing.

Harry froze, his heart suddenly in his mouth, and for a moment his world stood still.

"Nikki," he whispered into the darkness, not trusting himself that he hadn't just imagined her out of nowhere, like a mirage in the desert.

He could feel his hands shaking again as he blinked away his tears, trying to reassure himself that what he was seeing was real.

"Nikki," his voice was stronger this time, yet still seemed to hold that doubt, that this wasn't real. Harry breathed deeply, digging his nails into his skin just to feel something. To prove to himself that he hadn't collapsed somewhere, that this wasn't all a dream.

She looked so small, tucked up in the leaves, her bare arms loosely wrapped around her knees. So small. So fragile. As if one touch from his brutal hands would shatter her into a million pieces that he would never be able to put back together. He'd hurt her enough already.

And yet, she needed him now more than ever.

And then something seemed to click in Harry's mind.

It was Nikki. His Nikki. And she needed him, now more than ever.

"Nikki!" Harry shouted, running towards where she was lying and falling to his knees on the wet leaves, his hands instinctively moving to her neck in search of a pulse.

Harry's own heart seemed to pause as he checked, the tears ready to spill over yet again.

She couldn't be- he was here. He had found her. He was here to make it all better, and yet Nikki's voice seemed to drift through his mind. 'Some things that are broken can never be fixed. No matter how much scellotape you use.'

No. No, she was strong. She would have held on, waiting for Harry to find her. Because he always found her, one way or another. She would know how much he cared about her. How much he loved her. He had been trying to tell himself for that past eight years that their friendship was far too valuable to risk telling her, and yet now he would scream it to the rooftops if he thought it might help.

He loved her.

He did want her. More than anything. He always had done, and yet he never thought himself good enough for her. He still didn't to be honest. He had been trying to build up the courage to tell her how he felt for so long. Had even come close to it before Julia… just the thought of Julia made Harry want to explode with so many emotions he couldn't even explain.

He had trusted her, kissed her, slept with her… He had taken her side over Nikki's, his best friend. He had let Nikki down for Julia, and all that time, she had been involved. She had hurt Nikki in ways that he didn't even understand. He didn't understand a lot at the moment, but he knew that the woman in front of him, who he was pleading to show him she was still with him, was the woman he truly loved.

"Come on Nikki," he whispered desperately, moving in closer and noticing the blood across the side of her face, streaking her blonde hair. "Come on, I know you Niks. You're a fighter. Just prove it to me."

Harry breathed deeply again, moving his fingers along her cold skin in search of a sign of life, not for one second contemplating the idea that he wasn't going to find one. He had to. She would be holding on.

Harry froze again, holding his breath, and everything seemed to grow quiet around him.

And then he felt it.

It was weak, barely noticeable, and yet it was there. Her pulse. Letting Harry know that she was still holding on, still waiting for him to make it all better.

Carefully, Harry wrapped his arms around her cold body and pulled her towards him, letting her head rest against his chest, the tears finally spilling over and running freely down his cheeks.

The rain seemed to have stopped, everything still and silent around him, the only sound that of Harry's sobs that escaped his lips with every other breath. Gently, he kissed the top of her forehead, rocking her slightly as he tried to control his breathing, his eyes desperately searching the surroundings.

He didn't know where they were, or where Maddox had gone.

"Nikki," he almost pleaded with her, her limp form draped in his arms. "Come on Niks, stay with me. Don't leave me, ok? I'm going to make it all better now. I promise. I'm going to make it better."

He gently pushed away the wet hair from her face, flinching slightly at the blood that had had soaked the side of her head, and tucked her back under his chin, holding on to her tightly.

"Come on Nikki. Don't leave me. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. I know you'd make me say it first. I knew you'd get your own way, be too stubborn to say anything. And you win. I love you Nikki."

And before he could stop himself, Harry Cunningham burst into tears, the sobs shaking his body and the tears running off his cheeks as he gently kissed her skin, willing her to stay with him.

* * *

She was sure she heard someone say her name, a small warm breath on the side of her cheek. She could feel strong arms wrap around her body, and the brush of his stubbly chin on her forehead. Small droplets of rain fell on her nose, her eyelashes, her cheek… yet the rest of her body felt numb.

But none of this could be real, could it? Because there was no way of feeling, not when you were dead. These things she 'felt' must have been memories of dreams. Memories of stories that her mind had once conjured up to comfort her on those dark nights alone. She had had so many dreams about him. About being with him…

Could you have memories once your brain had stopped working? Surely it didn't take that long for your mind to switch off completely once your heart had stopped beating. Switch off forever. But she didn't care. If all she had from now to eternity was the smell of his skin, and the warmth of his arms, then she would be happy. She could almost deal with having to leave him alone in the world to battle his demons. There were others that he could talk to obviously, but no one else that he had ever opened up to like he did with her. But he was strong. He would find someone else. Someone who was better for him and could make him truly happy.

The rain seemed to almost stop. The droplets only touched her skin now and then. Or was she just losing her senses even more? Then she felt the softness of lips on her cheek, on her forehead, on the side of her lips… she really did love those dreams, and she felt grateful that she could still feel long enough to dream up those kisses, before she disappeared into nothingness completely.

She didn't know how long it had been since she had died. Didn't know how long she had felt the arms on her skin. But there were two things that she did know, more than anything else. Two things that she would cling onto and never forget for as long as she could still think…

Heaven felt like a warm, comforting embrace and smelled of his after shave.

And she truly, with every cell of her being whether it was alive or otherwise, loved Harry Cunningham.


	59. Chapter 59  We Need to Get Out of Here

**:O Wow! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! And for everyone who's still reading this :D**

**To Lizziginne, Thaliab, lithy, whitenessie, Kerry, Izzy, EmmaJ1996, Lia, dinabar, Rachel, gem.S, quotegilikay, LucySpiller, Baibe, pinkswallowsun, charliecharlie, Freya82 and AshyJ - You are all beyond AMAZING! You really really are :D and thank you SO much.**

**This one isn't very good tho :( sorry. No longer a student (woo) but have to work more at the moment (boo) which means that I don't have as much time as I'd like to write this. Needed something up, and this is what happened. Sorry. Hopefully it's ok, and the next chapter is half written already, so HOPEFULLY will be updated sooner. I know I keep saying it :/**

**Love to you all for keeping this going! I'll update everything else soon too :D Promise.**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 59 – We Need to Get Out of Here

He didn't know how long he had been sat there, on the soft ground, Nikki tucked in his arms and his cheek resting against her forehead, but Harry knew that he had to move. Had to do something. And yet he couldn't bring himself to react. It was like he was frozen, scared that if he let her go for just a second, he would loose her forever.

Ever since Nikki had disappeared from her apartment Harry had imagined this moment, when he would find her. He had known in his heart from the very beginning that he would, that it would be him, it always was, and yet that little bit of doubt had always been stuck in his mind. A doubt that had never been there before. That she was gone forever.

But she wasn't. She wasn't gone, she was right in front of him. Harry squeezed his eyes closed before opening them again slowly, lifting his head to look at Nikki properly and felt a lump in his throat, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall again.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end, how he was supposed to find her. When he had imagined finding her it hadn't been like this, barely alive, covered in blood and ice cold. He had found her before, when they had all got caught up in the animal rights case, when he had argued with her about his offer letter in America and had regretted ever having the stupid argument. And in his mind, this was going to be the same. He was going to find her and save her from whatever was happing around her. Hold her close and tell her that he hadn't meant anything that he had said.

Apologise for making a stupid mistake. Again.

But this time was different. No matter how many times he whispered 'sorry' she couldn't tell him that he was forgiven. That she knew he hadn't meant anything and that everything could go back to normal. He had left it too long to find her this time, and now, he had to fight harder than ever to make it all better.

"Nikki," he breathed, his lips close to her ear. "Nikki I know you can hear me. I know you can. You have to hold on, ok? You can't leave me. Not now. Not before you give me the time to make everything better."

Harry looked around him for any sign of movement, but couldn't see anything. Surely Shaw's search team would be here soon, but he didn't know if she would last that long. He had to do something other than just sit and wait for help to arrive. He'd phone Leo, that's what he'd do. Leo would know what should be done, would tell Harry what he should do now.

Gently moving Nikki so he had her securely held in one arm, Harry fumbled round in his pocket until he found his mobile, his hands shaking as he did so. It took all his effort to concentrate on the screen as he found Leo's number and hit the call button. But instead of it ringing, Harry's mobile gave out a low beep before falling silent again. Glaring at his phone, Harry's heart sank as he realised he had no signal.

"Shit," he shouted, ready to throw his mobile into the trees, but choosing his pocket instead.

Now what? They were alone, in the middle of who-knew-where, with no indication of what way led back to the main road, and which took them further away from any form of help.

Daring to look back at Nikki, Harry felt the lump in his throat reappear immediately, and turned away again, looking into the distance as if someone would appear in front of him and tell his exactly what to do.

But there was no one.

Pulling Nikki closer to his chest again, Harry leant down and let his forehead rest against hers, trying to ignore how cold her skin felt under his.

"You're going to be ok Niks," he whispered, feeling the tears run down his cheeks once more. "We're going to be ok, you and me. Just think of everything we've been through, and we made it. Together. You saved me in Hungary, and now it's my turn. You just have to hold on, ok. For me. For us. I know you can, you're too stubborn to give up now."

Harry breathed deeply, moving his arms slightly to get a better hold on Nikki. He hadn't a clue where he was, his mobile wasn't working, and she was frighteningly white, but Harry knew that he had to move. Sitting doing nothing wasn't going to help anyone.

There was a sound from near by, footsteps on the damp ground, and Harry froze momentarily, his eyes focused on Nikki and not looking up, listening to the surroundings.

"Dr Cunningham."

Harry knew who the voice belonged to instantly, and for the second time in only a few hours wished that it was someone else stood in front of him. Anyone else. Why was it that he was always around, always there when Harry least wanted him. He didn't want his help. This guy didn't care about Nikki, about the other girls that were involved. All he cared about was his reputation, and that of the police force.

"Harry-"

"Go away," Harry muttered under his breath, barely audible. He could feel his hands shaking again, and the uncontrollable rage building up inside him, ready to explode. Why was he here? How did he even manage to find them when he had gone off in the opposite direction, so sure that _he _was the one going the right way? He wanted nothing to do with Maddox. He had found her, and there was no way he was going to let her out of his sight now that he had. No, Maddox didn't care in the slightest, had threatened her when they had last met. He still had the faint purple bruise under his eye where her fist had connected, just to prove it.

"Harry, we need to get her out of here. We need to go."

"Go away! Don't go near her," Harry could feel his body shaking but seemed to have no control over it any more. The words escaped his mouth before he'd even realised, and yet Maddox didn't flinch, instead stepping closer to where he was kneeling, Nikki held protectively in his arms.

"How long do you think she's going to last out here," Maddox questioned, nodding towards Nikki. "It's a miracle she's still alive and you know it. We don't know how bad things are, we need to get out of here."

Harry hated Maddox. There was no other way around it. He couldn't bring himself to even marginally trust the man, and yet as he glanced down at Nikki, her blonde hair falling over his arm, he knew that he was right. They had to get out of there before it was too late. Leaning in closer, Harry quickly checked for her pulse again, holding his breath as he did so and letting out a sigh of relief when he found it still there. She was still breathing. Still holding on. But how long could she carry on fighting, while Harry sat and did nothing? They had to move.

Harry glared at Maddox, before nodding his head once and gently moving Nikki so that he could lift her up, one arm under her knees, the other around her back. He had carried her on so many occasions, and yet even just standing up with her made Harry's heart sink that little bit more. She had never been heavy, and yet now it felt as if she could break in his arms, her thin frame ice cold. Harry's legs shook slightly as he forced back more tears and stood up, refusing to cry in front of Maddox.

He wobbled slightly, and Maddox placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him, which he instantly shrugged off.

"What are you doing here Maddox?" Harry questioned, moving Nikki so that she was secure in his arms. "Why did it have to be _you _here, you went in the opposite direction!"

"I turned round," Maddox shrugged. "I realised that you were probably right. And so I turned round. Carried on looking. And then I found you both."

"But why _you_?" Harry sighed, taking a step away from the officer.

"Does it really matter?" Maddox glared, nodding his head in Nikki's direction. "She isn't going to hold on much longer. We need to get moving."

Harry paused.

"I know the way back," Maddox stated. "Either you follow, or you don't."

"Shaw has a search team out," Harry started, but Maddox stopped and turned towards Harry, his eyes wider than before.

"We haven't got time to wait for the search team Dr Cunningham," Maddox shook his head. "We need to go."

Harry glanced around before stumbling forward slightly, stopping in front of Maddox.

"I can trust you, can't I?"

"Of course," Maddox nodded slowly, and Harry sighed.

"Which way," he muttered quietly as he started to walk in the direction that Maddox had been going, tightening his hold on Nikki that little bit more and hearing the DCI begin to follow him.

* * *

They walked in silence, Harry following Maddox as he stepped around the trees, seeming to follow a certain path. It felt like a maze to Harry, one in which he was completely lost, and yet following the only thing that gave him a chance at freedom. Nikki didn't move as he walked, and Harry found himself watching her on more than one occasion, desperately searching for a sig of life. But he found one each time. The barely visible movement of her chest, or the weak pulse under his fingers.

After what felt like hours, and yet was likely to be much shorter, Maddox began to slow down, and Harry could hear movement near by.

He could see the edge of the trees, the flashing lights still illuminating the road from the crash site. The tow trucks must have arrived by now, the screeching of metal reverberating around them as the cars were dragged across the rough ground, ready to be transported somewhere to be fully analysed. The flashing blue seemed to blind him as he got closer, the line of police cars parked along the edge of the road, the officers either guiding traffic back the way it arrived, or wandering round the crash site, their torches shining into the darkness.

Everything was moving so quickly, and yet Harry felt frozen to the spot, his shaking legs now refusing to move any further.

"Dr Cunningham," Maddox glanced in his direction. "Come on Harry, we're here, they can help her."

But Harry didn't move as he desperately searched the crash site for one person only.

"Harry come on. Do you want me to take her for-"

"No," Harry said suddenly, pulling Nikki close to his chest. "No, don't touch her."

Maddox stepped back and glared at Harry again, before turning to the line of officers that stood along the road ahead of them, his booming voice echoing into the distance.

"I need an ambulance immediately," he shouted. "Bell, I want this site cleared in the next half hour. Travis, get the station on the line, I need to talk to someone who's still in the office. Skinner, get the paramedics over here now. And where the bloody hell is Shaw!"

Harry could see Maddox waving his arms, the officers reacting to his words, and yet he couldn't move as his eyes glanced over the chaos in front of him.

And then finally, appearing out of nowhere between two parked police cars, Harry saw Leo, his face white with worry, and looking almost lost. Forcing his feet to move again, Harry walked forwards, and it was Leo who seemed to stop, his mouth hanging open slightly as he spotted his college.

"Leo," Harry managed to breath as he reached the road, but before his boss could react, Harry was surrounded by green uniform as the paramedics arrived, and he automatically tightened his hold on Nikki.

"It's Dr Cunningham, right?" one of the paramedics asked, but Harry just stared at him blankly. "I know this is all a shock, but we need to help your friend, ok?"

Harry could hear them, knew that what they were saying would be making sense, and yet he wasn't listening to them. His eyes were fixed with Leo's who he could just make out through the sea of green uniform, and he held on tight. Because it was the look on Leo's face that made Harry so afraid of letting Nikki go.

Leo looked terrified. He almost had the same look on his face as when he had told them about Cassie and Theresa, and Harry knew that this was bad.

Harry couldn't let Nikki go now, because he didn't know if he'd ever get her back.

"Dr Cunningham, please," the paramedic stepped in front of Harry, blocking Leo from his view. "We need to help her."

"No," Harry stuttered. "I can… It'll be ok. I told her… it'll all be ok. I can-"

"Harry."

The sound seemed to snap Harry out of the dazed state he had been in, and he looked around to find Leo right by his side.

"Harry," Leo repeated. "You have helped her. Now you need to let them take over. You've done all you can do."

"But-" Harry stuttered. "But I promised. I told her that… that I'd make it better and-"

"Harry look at her," Leo sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please. You've helped her, you really have, but now you need to let her go. Just for a little while. Come on, bring her over here."

Leo took hold of Harry's arm and led him over to the waiting ambulance, helping him lay Nikki down on the trolley, and watching the paramedics swarm around her as soon as he had let go.

"You found her, like you said you would. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you Harry," Leo said as he guided Harry away again.

"No, she wouldn't," Harry sighed, knowing what Leo meant, but not really agreeing.

He was right. If it wasn't for Harry, Nikki wouldn't be there, surrounded by paramedics, dangerously close to losing her life. She would be safe, at home, or at the Lyell. This was all his fault.

Everything was moving quickly again, and Harry couldn't concentrate. It was only when Nikki was moved into the back of the ambulance where he couldn't see her that he seemed to focus on something again.

"I thought you were searching for her too. With Shaw?" Harry questioned, and Leo nodded.

"I was going to. Shaw arrived with a few officers that had been at the station and were free to look. They went in to search about ten minutes before you arrived. They'll be in there now, hopefully someone's let them know that Nikki has been found. They're looking for the other girls too."

"They think it wasn't just Nikki?"

"They don't know," Leo sighed. "They want to check though. Don't want to miss anyone. No one has any idea where they might be still. I stayed behind to let them know what needed doing with the cars when they were moving them. I was about to go searching when I heard Maddox…"

"Yeah, Maddox. Always there to save the day," Harry muttered under his breath and Leo sighed again, opening his mouth to continue before closing it when a paramedic appeared from the ambulance.

"Does one of you want to come with us?" he asked quickly, and Leo and Harry both looked at each other.

"Go," Leo smiled gently. "I'll sort things out here. See you at the hospital."

"I-" Harry stuttered, his eyes darting between the ambulance and Leo. "I don't know if I can- what if-"

"She needs you there Harry," Leo said, looking him straight in the eyes. "No matter what happens, she needs you there. Go."

Nodding his head, Harry turned towards the paramedic, and stepped into the ambulance, his eyes catching Leo's again as the doors closed, and the chaos outside disappeared.


	60. Chapter 60  Numb

**I think I've said sorry so much now it's lost all meaning! But I really REALLY am sorry that this has taken so long!**

**I honestly did have most of it finished the last time I uploaded a chapter, and then my hard drive died, and I lost eveything :/ so between being away for a week, and my laptop being (slowly!) repaired, it took me so much longer than I had planned to finish this again. BUT, it did end up longer than the original one. And a little more jumpy. Sorry.**

**Anyway, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who still has the patience to read this, and to Cariad1987, Thaliab, Lizziginne, Baibe, Lotte Elle, Izzy, gem.S, scarletpoppy, EmmaJ1996, dinabar, quotegilikay, Rachel, Pinkswallowsun, Hi-World, Anon, delectabledaisy, hoplesslyhalfhearted and WelshClaire... You won't believe how much you make me smile! :D Seriously. And I'm sorry this has taken so long. Love you all!**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 60 – Numb

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. This wasn't part of the plan. The plan that he had so meticulously set out in his mind, every detail accounted for, every eventuality thought of. This was not part of the plan at all, and it infuriated him.

It was all her fault. The stupid woman had gone and got herself killed, and now there was evidence. Too much evidence. She had messed it all up again, and now he was left to pick up the pieces. She wasn't there to help him with this any more.

Not that he was upset that she was dead. In fact, he was glad to be rid of her. Julia was far too needy for his liking. Always wanting to be involved. Always wanting to have a say. The stupid idea with the playing cards almost messed up everything, before he found a way to use them properly. And there was still a part of him that felt as if they still looked like a stupid calling card. He didn't want to be like anyone else. He was better than them. He would never be caught. He was too clever for that. No, when he thought about it properly, he was glad she was dead. She was one less distraction. One less person who knew about all of this. And that had to be a good thing. He was in this alone, and didn't have to trust anyone now.

The only people left that knew what was going on were the girls currently locked up in the middle of nowhere. His angels. Safely hidden. And they wouldn't last that long. They would be killed, one by one, when they were no longer needed. The clients he had lined up would be only too happy to pay the prices they had agreed on, and the girls wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. As long as he drugged them enough, they wouldn't be able to string a coherent sentence together, but would still do their job. He knew how much Ketamine was a safe amount by now. And he was more than capable of picking up a few more girls when he needed them, after this had died down slightly. He could do all this without Julia.

Maybe this had worked out for the best after all.

But then there was her.

She got away. She had escaped the car, despite her injuries, and disappeared. She was still alive when the ambulance disappeared into the distance, lights flashing, sirens blazing. There was still a chance that she would live.

And she was the only other person who knew the whole story. Knew who was involved in everything, where the girls were, what they were used for.

There was no way that he could let her survive. Not now. Not when he was so close to getting away with everything.

One way or the other, by the end of the night, Nikki Alexander would be dead.

* * *

Everything was moving a hundred miles an hour, every sound reverberating off each other causing a thundering roar in his head, and yet Harry Cunningham couldn't move. Couldn't move, or speak or even think. He just sat on the hard, fold-down chair in the back of the ambulance, staring ahead at the pale, lifeless body in front of him when the paramedics moved aside.

Time didn't really register in Harry's mind as he stared ahead, his hands clenched together to stop them from shaking. He knew that the paramedic in front of him was talking, but he couldn't listen enough to hear what he was saying. He didn't even know who he was talking to, whether it was him, or the paramedic that was driving, or Nikki... He didn't know, and he didn't really care. All he was concerned with was the fact that the woman lying in front of him was still. So so still. Too still. This wasn't right. This wasn't how he had imagined finding her. It was all supposed to be different.

But it was all going to be ok. He had to keep telling himself, otherwise he knew that there would be nothing to hold him together any more. It was all going to work out, just like it always did. He had found her before when she had gone missing, covered in blood and unconscious. And everything had been fine then, he had got there in time, before... This was going to be the same.

But when Harry thought about it properly, he knew that this was different. No matter how much he tried to convince himself that he had got there in time, there was so much blood. So much more than there was in the basement. Slowly looking down at his trembling hands, Harry could see the red staining his fingernails, his skin painted a deep crimson, and it made his stomach churn. He was covered in her blood, his jacket soaked through, and the more he looked at it, the more terrified he was of looking back up. Because there was so much blood on him, that there just couldn't be enough left for Nikki to... no, he wasn't going to think like that. He couldn't.

"Excuse me," Harry could hear the paramedic this time, but still he couldn't look up. He was too scared to look up. Scared of what he would see, even though he had been staring at her only seconds before.

It wasn't until he felt a hand on his knee that Harry looked up at the paramedic who had bent down in front of him, his friendly smile visible beneath his greying beard.

"Are you a close friend?" he asked, and Harry felt himself nod automatically.

"Very," he whispered, his voice hoarse from his earlier sobs.

"We'll I think she needs you. It could help, knowing that you're there. She's stable for now, why don't you hold her hand. We're only five minutes or so away from the hospital now," the paramedic patted Harry's knee lightly and stood up again, moving to read the monitor that was beeping in the background, reassuring Harry that it had found a pulse. That she was still holding on.

Reaching out a shaking hand, Harry found Nikki's, hers covered in just as much blood as his own, and held it tightly, feeling his breath catch when he felt how cold her skin was beneath his. Blinking away the tears, Harry looked up at Nikki again and bit his lip to stop the sobs. The tubes and wires looked alien against her delicate skin, and he wanted nothing more than to take her away from everything and back to how it used to be.

Before he turned her away.

Before he believed someone he had known for only a few weeks over her.

"I'm so sorry Nikki," he whispered, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it slightly, aware of the paramedic's glances as the tears began to run down his cheeks again.

Harry sighed heavily and closed his eyes, pressing Nikki's cold hand against his forehead and trying to imagine being anywhere but here. Imagining that he was warming her hands up after a horrible call out in the middle of the night like he had done on so many occasions. Where he would sit with her on the sofa in Leo's office, her feet over his knee, her hands in his as he blew on them to warm them up.

But in these circumstances the room was usually filled with her laughter as he tickled her feet, or her voice as she talked away about the case. But not this time. This time there was a sharp beeping noise in the background reminding Harry that they were not tucked up safely at the Lyell. A beeping that seemed to be slowing down. Losing its steady rhythm.

Just as Harry realised what this meant and managed to look up again at Nikki, the paramedic was back between them, hastily adjusting the equipment as the ambulance came to a stop.

"Perfect timing," he spoke to the other paramedic before the back doors were pulled open and the sound erupted in Harry's ears again. "She's fading fast."

The ambulance was soon filled with the two medics who connected and disconnected the appropriate wires, speaking quickly to the doctors who were standing outside. Harry knew he would be able to understand the medical jargon if he listened, but he didn't want to. He could tell how bad it was without listening to them explain it. The paramedic had said so himself, as if he had forgotten Harry was sitting there. They had got to the hospital just in time. Just as she began to deteriorate again. But that didn't mean that they could stop her from getting even worse now that she was here.

Harry sat in the back of the ambulance and watched as the paramedics and the doctors and Nikki all disappeared into the distance, his whole body numb and yet aching at the same time. Before putting his head in his hands and letting the sobs escape as the tears run down his cheeks with no intention of stopping.

* * *

Leo had followed behind the ambulance the whole way before turning off into the hospital car park and abandoning his car as soon as possible. He knew that he had to be at the hospital, for both his friends. He knew that he would be needed to hold Harry together, he had seen the amount of blood that had covered Harry's arms when he had appeared from the trees, Nikki lifeless in his arms. What he didn't know however was what he would find when he got to the hospital. It was bad, that much was obvious, but had Harry got to her in time? The thought that he hadn't was too much to think about, and Leo quickly shook it from his mind.

It had taken Leo a lot of self control to not cry in front of Harry as he had reluctantly handed Nikki over to the medical staff, and in many ways he was glad that he had drove to the hospital on his own. Being on his own meant that he didn't need to hold it together on the way. It meant that he could break down slightly, as long as he picked himself back up before he met up with Harry again.

But when he ran inside and was pointed in the right direction, he couldn't see Harry in the waiting area. He knew that it was the right place immediately. There were already police officers in the waiting area. Leo didn't know if they had been sent to watch for anyone suspicious turning up, or if they were stupid enough to think that they could get a statement, but he recognised a few of them from the crash site almost immediately.

It was difficult to see through the frosted glass doors into the area they had taken Nikki, but as another doctor appeared pulling on a pair of surgical gloves, Leo managed to catch a glance through the doors as they swung closed behind him. Yet all he could make out was a line of doctors, all busy with a different task, all trying to reach the same goal.

Frowning to himself, Leo took out his phone and stepped to one side, quickly checking it for any messages from Harry. But there was nothing. He had to be there somewhere though, he had gone in the ambulance with Nikki. Sighing, Leo closed his eyes tightly as if composing himself, before walking back out the doors he had just walked through and into the car park.

He could see the ambulance bay from the entrance, and could tell that the doors had all been shut again, all waiting for their next call out. Which meant that Harry must be around somewhere. But if he wasn't inside, waiting desperately for news, Leo didn't know where they'd be. He knew what happened when Harry's emotions took over. There was no stopping him when he got something in his mind, and he knew for a fact that Harry was blaming himself. Cursing himself for what had happened, even though there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.

Turning on the spot, Leo eyes the car park in search of his college, and soon spotted a figure in the distance pacing up and down the path, stopping only to kick a nearby bench. Leo knew that it was Harry instantly, and ran across the car park.

"Harry!"

The look on Harry's face when he turned around made Leo sigh instantly, reaching out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, yet Harry shrugged away, running his hands through his hair and roughly wiping the tears from his face.

"I can't do this Leo, I can't be there for her," he stuttered, his breath catching, and Leo sighed again slightly, taking a seat on the bench that Harry had just kicked.

"You can Harry. You have to. Do you think Nikki can get through this without you?" Leo tried to keep his voice steady, although he could feel his own tears sting the back of his eyes.

But Harry just shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"None of this would have happened-"

"Stop it Harry!" Leo shouted, unable to stop himself, surprising himself at the tone of his voice. "I'm fed up of it. Since the day she went missing that's all I've heard, how it was your fault. And I don't care Harry. I really don't. It wasn't, ok. It had nothing to do with you. You weren't the one who drugged her, hurt her, locked her up, were you? And if you really do think that this is your fault, isn't that even _more _of a reason for you to go and make it up to her? For you to be there for her, and fight for her. She can't do it without you Harry, and if you don't go in there now, then you're giving up. Then you really are letting her down."

Leo stopped and took a deep breath, preparing himself for Harry's reaction to his words, and yet Harry just stopped and looked down at his boss, a blank expression covering his features.

"You're right," he said, barely audible.

"I know I am. I'm always right. I've been telling you that for years," Leo smiled weakly, before standing up and placing his hand on Harry's shoulder, who didn't flinch a way this time. "She needs you there for her Harry, whatever happens."

"What if it's too late?" Harry said, turning to Leo again. "In the ambulance. Before they took her away. She got worse Leo, I heard the machine. And the paramedics. And I just couldn't follow them in, just to watch her d- I wanted to be there, and I just couldn't move. What if I'm too late?"

"You're not," Leo shook his head. "I've just been in, looking for you, and I could see the doctors through the glass. They haven't given up. Nikki hasn't given up. But I know that she'd want you there. Even if everything does go downhill again Harry, which I'm not saying is going to happen, but if it does, don't you think she'd want you to be there with her then too?"

Slowly, Harry nodded his head, before wiping away the last of his tears and turning back to the hospital entrance.

"I'll stay too," Leo whispered as they both made their way back through the doors and in the direction that Leo had been pointed in a few minutes before.

"Thank you," Harry replied in a whisper before stopping outside the frosted doors and leaning against the wall.

Leo could see how much Harry was hurting, but also how much calmer he had looked compared to how he had been outside. His eyes were still red and puffy, yet his fists were no longer clenched, but were shaking instead. He was still beyond worried about her, but Leo had a feeling that Harry no longer blamed himself to the same extent he had before. He would never forgive himself for what had happened, would always feel that some part of it was his fault, and yet it was as if he had realised that Leo had been right. That Nikki needed him to be strong, and not fall apart blaming himself for everything.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours, and yet was closer to twenty minutes, before the doors opened and Harry quickly jumped to his feet. Standing in front of them was a young doctor, possibly mid twenties, with a stethoscope round his neck and a sad look in his eyes.

"Are you friends of Miss Alexander?" he asked, and Harry and Leo nodded in unison.

"What's happening?" Leo asked, yet Harry frowned.

"I hope you're not the one looking after her," he snapped, eying up the doctor. "You look like you should still be in medical school! We want a senior doctor looking after her-"

"Harry!" Leo warned, and yet the doctor just shook his head slightly.

"Please, don't worry, your friend is getting the best care possible. I'm only part of the team that's looking after her," he explained, before turning to Leo.

Instantly Leo could tell that there was something wrong, could tell by the look in the young doctor's eyes, who was obviously not used to trying to hide his emotions from friends and relatives.

"What's happening?" Leo repeated.

"Well, as you know, Miss Alexander suffered extensive injuries before she was brought in," the doctor explained, and Leo could see Harry look down at his blood soaked coat. " The paramedics managed to intubate her at the scene, and made her stable enough to get here. But she's lost a lot of blood. We've been giving her adrenaline and have tried to stop the bleeding, but we don't know as yet what internal damage has been done. There are bruises that could indicate further internal problems, but we need to make her stable before we can take her to surgery to find out what there might be."

The doctor stopped as if to let Harry and Leo take in what he had said, before he began again.

"Right now, all we can do is keep fighting to get her stable and ready for surgery," he finished, looked at them both as if waiting for any questions, and then disappeared through the doors again, leaving Harry and Leo standing together, numb and lost for words.

"She has to keep fighting," Harry muttered to himself. "She has to. I have to apologise to her. For what I said. I have to say sorry, and get her a coffee, and let her have my desk."

Leo took Harry gently by the arm and guided him to the chairs that faced the frosted doors, where they sat together, waiting, listening to the beeping of machinery from the other side.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

There was something to focus on. Some steady, simple noise that had managed to break through in to her mind. She didn't know how long it had been since she had managed to focus on something properly, but she could remember what it was that she last felt.

She would always remember.

It could have happened a million years or a nano-second ago, she didn't know. Did time even exist when you were dead?

She longed to feel what she had in her last memory. She craved the scent of his aftershave and the softness of his skin, and yet the more she thought about it, the further away it seemed to be from her reach. The constant beep was all that existed in her numbness. That and the feeling of something obstructing her airway. Preventing her from taking a breath. Not that she felt like she had the energy to do that anyway. Because you didn't breath when you were dead. You didn't have to be a pathologist to work that one out. She knew now what must be happening. There was no other explanation. She had been given her encounter of heaven just to torment her when she was not allowed to return. Just for her to compare everything that was to exist now to. Just to remember when she knew that it was so far out of reach.

She felt any energy that was left in her existence fade against the thoughts of never being able to feel him again. Never being able to smell him, to hear his voice, feel his kisses. Her memories had gone, and her mind was blurring.

There was nothing worth holding on for. This was her own personal hell, and without him, there was nothing to hold on for. She didn't want to stay here, with the pain, and the horrible feeling in her throat, and the constant beeping that was ringing through her ears.

And as soon as she started thinking about it, focusing on it, the beeping, it began to slow down. To fade. Until it turned into one long drone, and she felt every ounce of energy disappear.

* * *

The single sound from behind the doors, the long, drawn out beep that sent shivers down his spine as soon as he heard it, made Harry freeze. It was the same noise as he heard in the ambulance. The sound of her giving up. The sound of him losing her.

He remembered what the doctor said. All they could do was fight to get her stable, before surgery. And she hadn't even made it that far yet.

The noise seemed to last a lifetime, pulsing through Harry's mind and turning into a scream that just wouldn't leave him alone. It had to stop soon. It had to change back to the steady rhythm that he had been focusing on before. It had to.

And yet the noise just continued.

And Leo began pacing.

And then Leo was on his phone, speaking to Janet, telling her to get to the hospital as soon as she could.

But Harry couldn't move. He just sat on the hard waiting room chair and stared at the door, waiting for the doctor to reappear and tell them that Nikki was going to be ok.

And yet even when the doctor did reappear, a different doctor this time, an older gentleman wearing an expression that had had years of practice to perfect in front of friends, family, loved ones, Harry didn't move. He just watched as the doctor made his way to Leo, who stopped and crossed his arms as he listen to him.

Harry could feel his body shaking, but knew that there was no way he could control himself. All he wanted to do was hit something, anything, anyone, until it was all better again. But he knew that he couldn't make it better. There was nothing he could do, and it tore him apart.

He could see Leo and the doctor talking. He could see their mouths moving, Leo nodding, the doctor's hands moving, and yet he couldn't hear anything they were saying. The screaming in his head just didn't seem to go away, and it wasn't until he saw the tears running freely from Leo's eyes that he was able to snap back into reality. The screaming subsided just enough for the doctor's final sentence to echo through his mind.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do."

And in that split second, Harry's world came crashing down around him as he fell into nothingness.


	61. Chapter 61  An Angel Will Die

Chapter 61 – An Angel Will Die

It was an unusually bright winter's evening, the weak sunbeams breaking through the hazy clouds and making the frost glitter off every surface, yet the bitter wind stung his skin. Looking around, he could see the smooth marble headstones, some weathered and crumbing, others glistening white, each standing in a perfect row as if saluting the low evening sun.

The rough gravel crunched under his feet as he pivoted on the stop, taking in every aspect of his surroundings, trying desperately not to look at the newly covered grave that he was standing beside, every inch covered in fresh flowers.

He couldn't remember any of the service. Not one thing. Not the hymns that were sung or the flowers that would have been placed on top of her coffin. Not the faces of the people who sat in the church, their cheeks streaked with tears. He couldn't even remember making his way to the grave, and yet here he was.

The one place in the entire world that he wished he wasn't.

He could feel his hands trembling and his vision become blurred as the tears reappeared, spilling over and running freely down his cheeks. Wiping them away roughly with the back of his sleeve, he took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He had to act strong. He was always the strong one. And yet the more he tried to tell himself to calm down, to shut off from reality, the more his body resisted.

When had he lost control? When had he given up on everything in life? Because right now, all he wanted to do was lie down in the grave beside him, next to her, and fall asleep forever. Because he knew that that was when he had lost control, when he had given up.

When her heart had stopped beating.

When she had left him forever.

When he knew that there was no way of ever getting her back.

He was suddenly aware of a strong, comforting hand on his shoulder, and turning around he came face to face with Leo, the tears running freely down his cheeks, Janet clinging to his arm. He didn't say a thing, and yet he didn't need to. Everything that he had to say was shown through his eyes. His mere presence. 'I'm here for you, any time. I'm sorry…'

And then Leo and Janet walked away again, leaving him alone by the grave with no one for company other than his thoughts.

And that really was dangerous.

Breathing in deeply, Harry forced himself to turn in the direction of the one place that he had been trying so desperately to avoid. He felt his knees go weak as he steadied himself, his eyes falling on the blanket of flowers that surrounded the new headstone. The smooth marble glinted in the sun, intricate butterflies engraved in the stone around the long scrawling letters.

Her name. Date of birth. Date of death. And a small, simple message… nothing more. Nothing to describe the beautiful, stubborn, energetic young blonde that had been taken away from them. There wasn't enough space on every one of the thousands of headstones that were housed in the graveyard to describe what she meant to him. How much he loved her. All the things that he wished he had told her before it was too late. But now he would never have that chance…

Despite the sun, everything looked grey, as if he was looking at the world through an old black and white television, nothing quite in focus. Even the fresh flowers seemed to be dull, their true colours fading the longer he was there, as if he was subconsciously sucking out their beauty and using it as energy, just to stay on his feet. It was like the light in his life had been turned off, and his eyes were still adjusting to the dark. The only colour that stood out at all came from the soft pink petals on a blossom tree that stood behind the grave. It was the only blossom tree for as far as he could see, and certainly the first he had seen in months. It seemed so out of place in the bitter cold, and yet it had somehow managed to bloom, to survive, when everything else around it seemed to be dying. Or dead.

_Cause when you're in your darkest hour  
And all of the light just fades away  
When you're like a single flower whose colours have turned to shades of grey  
Well hang on,  
And be strong._

The song seemed to resonate through his subconscious, and yet he couldn't place it. He didn't even know that he knew the lyrics before now, and yet they echoed through his mind, like a message, telling him to stay positive. But he couldn't. His strength had gone when she had…

She shouldn't have been buried. He knew what happened to bodies after they had been buried, and the thought made him feel sick to his core. She was so free spirited, so independent. There was no way that she would have wanted to stay in the same place for the rest of eternity. He should have been able take her to her favourite spot in the world and let her free. So she could start a new adventure. One that he couldn't be part of.

He would have taken her home to her mother, to make sure they could be together again. To somewhere where she used to be so happy, before her life was turned upside down as a teenager. But, he tried to reason with himself, surely this was her home now. She had been happy here, with her job, with her apartment, with him… And besides, he doubted that he would have been strong enough to be that far apart from her. At least here, as sombre as it was, there was somewhere for him to visit.

But he didn't want to visit. He didn't want to sit in silence in front of a slab of stone, telling her how he had felt about her. He wanted her back. In his arms. In his personal space whenever he turned round. In his life.

But it was too late.

Reaching out a shaking hand in the direction of the stone, he ran his thumb over the rough letters of her name.

'Nicola Alexander.'

"I miss you," he whispered, before his knees gave way and hit the gravel of the path.

Slowly, the soft petals of the blossom tree began to flutter around him as the cold breeze made the branches sway slightly. Each petal was a soft, pale pink, the colour almost identical to her lips. The lips that had once, and only once, truly found his.

They seemed to mesmerise him, the way they hovered in the wind, spinning gracefully in mid air. Like a pair of tiny angel wings that seemed to play in the breeze rather than be controlled by it. And yet they all eventually found the earth as the wind dropped enough. It seemed wrong, for something so delicate to lie motionless on the gravel when only seconds before it had seemed so full of life...

"It's too cold for the angels to fly," came a silent whisper in his ear, the voice unmistakable, and yet he dared not turn around, knowing the disappointment of not seeing her would crush him. It was just his messed up mind playing with his heart's desires, taunting him with a reality that he could never have. And yet he smiled slightly nonetheless at the sound of her voice.

He didn't know how long he had spent watching the petals fall, bonding themselves firmly to the moisture on the smooth marble headstone. He didn't want to leave her, and yet he knew that he would find it almost impossible to come back once he had. To come back was to admit that she was gone. She wasn't at work, studying a thick textbook, or at his flat drinking his wine, or at her apartment waiting for him to watch a film with her…

A small, almost white petal landed gracefully on the back of his hand, and lifting it until it was barely an inch from his lips, he closed his eyes and whispered to it.

"Look after her," he could feel the tears beginning to sting his eyes. "Do what I couldn't do. Keep her safe. Forever."

His body shook uncontrollably as he let the sobs take over completely, no longer caring who was watching or who was judging him. Squeezing his eyes closed as tight as possible, he tightened his hands into fists and pushed them into his eyes.

"I can't do this," he whispered to himself. "I can't do it without you."

There was no way that he could continue without her by his side. She had always been there, a shoulder to cry on, or the voice of reason. Not that he always agreed with her advice, but her stubbornness always amazed him, and more often than not she could talk him round to her way of thinking. Or maybe it was her smile. The one that lit up the room. The one that made him feel warm inside, and chased away all his fears.

He knew that she was the only reason he had survived the aftermath of Hungary. Everything that had upset him, involving his father's suicide. His mother's affair. Penny's death. And every little mishap in between.

She was the one he turned to when he needed help. When he needed comfort. Every time, without thinking.

There was no way he could go on now. And this thought sent a shiver through his spine, lighting a spark of anger. Why had she been taken away from him? He needed her.

Harry felt the anger rise inside him, consuming every part of his body, burning away every other emotion that had plagued him, and he knew he had to let it out before he exploded.

Lifting his head, his eyes still closed tight, he let out a long, loud shout that echoed through the graveyard, reverberating off the gravestones and making his body weak. Placing his head in his hands, he took a sharp intake of breath, and his senses were suddenly swimming.

He could feel his chest moving rapidly as he fought to steady his breathing, his eyes remaining tightly closed. The regular, comforting beep of machinery was a startling contrast to his own heartbeat, and the sterile smell of his surroundings almost burnt his nose. But he couldn't open his eyes. He wouldn't let himself. If he opened his eyes then he might lose this place that he so wanted to be his reality, and instead return to the graveyard.

Suddenly he was aware of a warm, gentle hand moving slowly across his shoulder, the first real contact that he was aware of in as long as he could remember.

"Sssh," a small voice whispered close to his ear as a soft finger slowly stroked his cheek, making his heart beat even quicker.

Taking a deep intake of breath, Harry dared himself to open his eyes, and blinking against the sterile white he could make out the top of the blonde's head that was leaning slightly against the side of his chest.

"Sorry," Harry stuttered, wrapping his arms tightly around her frail body that lay next to him, weaving his arms through the wires that knotted themselves around her pale skin.

He was aware of the tears that were now cascading down his cheeks, and the way his body shook with the sobs that were breaking free. And yet Harry made no intention to hide his tears any more.

"Sssh," she whispered again, her eyes flittering open slightly and looking to Harry's puffy red face.

In that very instant Harry physically felt the tension that had built up in his body loosen. Her eyes held so many thoughts, so much feeling, that Harry could do nothing but drink in the emotions that were so visible in the chocolate brown pupils.

"Harry," she whispered, her voice broken and uneven. Harry slowly stroked her hair as her eyes drifted closed, yet he could feel her grip on his shirt tighten slightly as she nuzzled further into his body.

"I love you," she said, barely audible and yet the words sounded clear and true in Harry's mind.

"I love you too," he replied, kissing her softly on the top of her head and letting himself drift back to sleep.

To a dream where Nikki Alexander was very much alive.

And snuggled in his arms, just like she was now, as the music from her iPod quietly played around them.

'_You're taking each step one day at a time,  
You can't lose your spirit.  
Well let live and let live,  
Forget and forgive,  
And it's all how you see it.  
And just remember, keep it together  
Don't you know you're never alone?'_

* * *

Eight days earlier...

Leo Dalton had just ended his call with Janet when the doors to the Resuscitation Room opened again, and a doctor appeared from within wearing an expression that told Leo that he was going to punch every ounce of hope that had been holding Harry together from his body. In the few seconds that it took for the doctor to make his way to where he was standing, Leo had managed to compose himself enough to stop his hands from trembling, preparing himself for when Harry broke down in front of him.

The doctor began explaining Nikki's injuries to Leo, telling him that as a doctor himself, he must understand that there was little that could be done. Leo just nodded, feeling the tears begin to sting the back of his eyes as he wrung his hands together, desperate not to fall apart before he could comfort Harry. Because he knew that whatever he was feeling now, however upset he was at the thought of loosing someone he considered as close as a daughter, it would be nothing compared to how Harry would feel. How he would react. He had to stay strong enough to stop Harry from destroying himself.

He could see Harry out of the corner of his eye, sitting on the hard plastic chair directly opposite the door the doctor has just appeared from, and could tell that he was watching them. Waiting for Leo to explain what was happening. And then the seven words that Leo had been fearing from the moment he had seen Harry appear from the trees with Nikki in his arms, escaped from the doctor's lips.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do."

Leo wanted nothing more than to escape, run away to somewhere he could be alone, and break down. Cry until there was no tears left, and then cry some more. But he couldn't. Harry needed him. Just like Nikki had needed him in Hungary, Harry needed him now.

And that was why Leo loved stubborn, angry, act-before-you-think Harry. That's why he loved the fact that Harry never listened to what he was told, and never took anything you told him as the truth until he had seen it for himself. That's why he loved the fact that no matter what happened, no matter how many arguments they had or who was involved, Harry would always be there to fight for Nikki, especially when she couldn't do it for herself.

When Leo had managed to look from the doctor in front of him to where Harry was sitting, the look of pure rage on Harry's features had worried him. Before he knew what was happening, Harry had moved from the plastic chair and was standing between Leo and the doctor, grabbing the doctor by the shirt and pulling his forwards until their noses were almost touching.

And yet Leo stood and watched rather than pulling Harry away from the confrontation like he had done on so many other occasions. He wasn't sure if it was the shock or the grief that kept him rooted to the spot, but Leo had no intention of moving. Even if Harry had beat up the doctor to a bloody pulp in front of him, Leo knew that he wouldn't have flinched, even though he knew how wrong it would be.

"No!" Leo heard Harry growl at the doctor, the grip on his shirt tightening. "You have to try again. You have to save her! I have to make everything better, to apologise. You don't get it."

The doctor stood perfectly still, his eyes swimming with emotions, the look of sorrow still painted professionally on his face.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I really am."

"You're not nearly sorry enough," Harry shouted, throwing his hands up. "We are listed as her next of kin, and so it is up to us to decide if there is anything else you can do!"

"Mr Cunningham…" the doctor tried to reason.

"It's Dr Cunningham," Harry spat, his eyes menacing.

"Dr Cunningham," the doctor corrected, his shoulders slumping. "You need to understand. We have had no response for forty minutes. We really have tried everything."

"Then try again," Harry said steadily, stepping away slightly, his hands shaking.

The doctor hesitated, his mouth opening and closing as if lost for words.

"Please," Harry whispered. And then he broke down, letting go of the doctor and falling to his knees, placing his head on the cold white hospital floor.

The doctor bent his knees and squatted down to Harry's level, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Once more," he said softly.

Harry looked back up, his eyes bloodshot and swollen, the hope flashing across his features again.

"But you need to understand, there is a very little chance that this will work. And even if we do get her back…" the doctor trailed off and Harry shook his head.

"I know," Harry chocked. "I know. I can't give up on her. She's strong, she will pull through. She will be ok."

The doctor nodded and entered back into the bustling Resuscitation Room, the heart breaking single tone of the heart monitor echoing through the corridor as the door shut again.

Leo blinked, before making his way to where Harry was sitting and fell to his knees beside him, grasping his shoulders and letting Harry sob like a small child. They sat on the corridor floor for what felt like an eternity, the drone of the machine haunting them, their tears running freely.

And then the steady beep of the monitor started again, and Leo felt Harry collapse completely.

"I told them," Harry whispered, barely audible. "I told them. She's a fighter. She'll be ok."

And Leo believed him. With Harry fighting her battles, there was no way Nikki could lose.

They always seemed to be able to fight for each other when they needed to the most.

* * *

**I'm sorry! I don't usually write anything that's like 'and it was all just a dream,' but thre first bit was one of the first chapters I wrote for this and just had to put it in.**

**The song is 'Be Strong' by Delta Goodrem, and it just seemed to fit, even though I don't usually use songs either… so yeah, not really a chapter that I'd usually write all together!**

**And the chapter title, and one of the lines of speech is from a song by Ed Sheeran (A team). I had it on repeat when I was reading through the chapter for a re-draft AGES ago, and it seemed to make its way into the chapter too.**

**So I'm sorry. I'll get back to my normal chapters soon. And the chapters will go back to eight days ago now. It'll all make sense. I hope. Just couldn't not use that bit :p**

**THANK YOU to everyone reading. And to scarletpoppy, Cariad1987, delectabledaisy, Lizziginne, C, Izzy, Lotte Elle, Thaliab, Rachel, charliecharlie, quotegilikay, dinabar, Farmermoo, EmmaJ1996 and pinkswallowsun - YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! I hope you all know that :D**

**You didn't really think I'd kill her, did you? :p**

**xXx**


	62. Chapter 62  Refuge with Roxy

**I know, I'm terrible. Beyond terrible! I should have updated this AGES ago :(**

**Went on holiday and got next to no writing done, then just couldn't seem to write when I got back. I have tried to get this finished, promise :(**

**I start a new job next week, so will hopefully have weekends free soon to write more, in between travelling to Wales on a training course :/ aaah!**

**But THANK YOU SO SO MUCH to eveyone who has stuck by this. And to WelshClaire, Lizziginne, scarletpoppy, Lotte Elle, Baibe, quotegilikay, Guest01, Rachel, Izzy, Cariad1987, Terriah, LucySpiller, dinabar, Gam.S, EmmaJ1996 and pinkswallowsun - thank you times a million gazillion for reviewing :D you make me continue this :) even if I do take longer than I should.**

**Not exactly happy with this one, but needed something up! And I promise I'll R&R all the amazing new fics soon!**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 62 – Refuge with Roxy

It was still dark when they got there. Although none of them said anything, there was an obvious tension in the air, each one of them both surprised and relieved that they had finally arrived. That Freya had managed to find the place without any of them getting caught. The darkness had kept them safe, unseen, despite the rain and wind that had froze their bare skin. They were exhausted, soggy hair covering their eyes and bare feet aching, and yet each of them had known that if they stopped, there was a chance of someone finding them. A chance that he could find them.

And they knew that there was no way they could escape from him a second time.

The streets were deserted at such a late hour, the only light other than the streetlamps coming from the upstairs window of the building they were now standing outside, huddled together on the doorstep. Now that they had got there, no one seemed brave enough to ring the door bell. They had managed to hide themselves the entire journey, and now they were going to voluntarily make themselves known.

To a complete stranger.

"Are you sure about this?" Jessica asked hesitantly, her voice shaking slightly.

Freya turned towards her and nodded her head slowly before looking back at the door.

"We have to. You heard what Nikki said. It's not safe for us to go home yet. Even if we went home, told the police what we know, there's no evidence to prove what we're saying is true. We need to stay hidden, just until it's safe."

"And this is safe?" someone else asked from behind her, but Freya didn't look round to see who it was.

"Yeah," she said, before raising her voice again. "Yeah, this is safe. We'll be ok here. I promise."

Without thinking any more, Freya reached up and rang the doorbell, holding her breath as she stepped back down to the other girls and stared at the door.

Everyone should be sleeping by now, and by the looks of the dark houses around them everyone was, but Freya knew that there would be someone awake. There was always someone awake here.

The silence hung heavily on their shoulders as they seemed to slowly back away from the door, as if ready to run at any moment. But after what felt like hours, and yet was barely half a minute later, the door creaked open and a set of wide eyes peered around the door, framed in a pair of dark glasses that seemed to emphasise the crows feet that run to the woman's hairline.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eying each of the scared girls in front of her, before her gaze stopped on Freya, her eyes widening even more. "Freya. Freya is that you? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"We need your help Roxy," Freya stammered, stepping closer to her. "We really need your help. But- but not like- Roxy, it's not like it was before. I can't, we can't-"

Without saying anything, Roxy opened the door wide and gestured for them all to go inside.

"Come on, everyone in. You can explain everything to me where it's warmer," she smiled kindly, and all the girls looked at Freya, waiting for confirmation that it was safe to listen to the stranger in front of them.

But when Freya followed Roxy inside, the girls quickly followed, each one breathing a sigh of relief to be in the warmth.

They stepped into a small hall with a narrow staircase running up one side, the walls a deep shade of red that matched the carpet. Roxy led them through to the back of the house into a comfortable sitting room that was filled mainly with sofas, enough space for them all to take a seat.

After offering around blankets and hot drinks, Roxy sat in an armchair across from Freya and folded her arms, frowning slightly.

"Right young lady," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Spill. The last time you turned up on my doorstep you'd ran away from home and was desperate for some money. You know what happens within these walls, and I can guess that you're not here looking for money, are you?"

"Wait," one of the girls turned to Freya who could feel her cheeks turning pink. "You mean this is a- a-"

"Yes dear it's a brothel," Roxy smirked. "If you'd rather not be here-"

She gestured to the door, but the girl just shook her head quickly.

"No no," she stuttered. "I just meant, well-"

"We don't have any money with us," Freya finished. "We just need somewhere to stay for a few nights. But we promise, we can pay you for your hospitality in a few days. Once we can get home. Things are just a little... complicated right now."

"We can't stay here," someone else shouted from behind Freya, and everyone turned to look at her. "We can't. We've just escaped somewhere where we were made to- we've just got away from all that! I don't want to sell myself just to survive, not when we can go home. I can't do this!"

"No one has to do anything here," Rosy said calmly. "I trust Freya. And if you say that you need somewhere to stay, then you are more than welcome to stay here. I've got enough room upstairs. You all know what may happen while you stay here, but believe me, everyone is here by choice and you will be on a separate floor to our other visitors."

"Thank you," Freya smiled, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "I promise, I'll explain everything in the morning. I think right now though everyone just needs some sleep."

Roxy showed them to two rooms she had spare at the top of the tall house, yet the girls opted to sleep together in one, pulling blankets and pillows through to form make shift beds next to the double that was already in the room, as if they needed to be close to each other after spending so long in each other's company. After another discussion with the girls about why they had to stay where they were rather than going home, Freya lay down beside Jessica and listened to the heavy breathing of the sleeping girls around her.

"Freya," Jessica whispered, taking her by surprise. "Do you think Nikki survived?"

"I don't know," Freya answered, not wanting to think about what had happened too much. She had seen many girls being taken away, and never come back. Had watched Megan die in front of them. She knew exactly what that man was capable of, and the very thought made her shiver. "Maybe. Maybe she did."

"What if she didn't?" she asked again, pulling the sheets tighter around her. "She saved us. All of us. What if we never get the chance to thank her for saving our lives?"

Freya could feel the tears run down her cheeks in the darkness as she turned away from Jessica.

"Then we'll just have to make sure he pays for it," she said. "Not get some sleep."

* * *

Harry Cunningham couldn't sit still. No matter how many times Leo told him to sit down and calm down, he was on his feet within minutes, pacing the waiting room.

After the doctor had disappeared back through the doors to the Resuscitation room, Harry and Leo had sat outside and waited, hoping and praying that the sound of the heart monitor on the other side of the door wouldn't change again.

Finally, more than half an hour later, the doctor reappeared, sitting next to them and running his hand through his hair.

"You're friend is very lucky," he started, looking at Harry who simply nodded his head, as if lost for words. He knew that if he opened his mouth, if he started to tell the doctor that he knew he was right, that he should never have thought about giving up, he would probably end up saying something stupid. And Nikki didn't need that right now.

It was his saying something stupid that had got them into this situation after all.

"We've managed to stabilise her," the doctor continued. "But she's not out the woods yet. We need to find and stop the internal bleeding, find out what damage was done between the stab wound and broken ribs."

Harry and Leo nodded, knowing that everything was far from over.

"And then there's after, if she survives surgery-" the doctor continued, but Harry cut him off.

"What do you mean _if _she survives," he questioned. "Hasn't she just proven to you what I've said all along? She's stronger than you think. She will survive the surgery."

The doctor simply nodded like he had heard it all before, and then continued, addressing Leo rather than Harry as if he couldn't bring himself to look at the optimism in Harry's eyes. He'd been in this situation countless times before, explaining to friends and family that things might not turn out the way they want it to.

"After surgery," he started again. "There's no guarantees. We can try to stop the bleeding, fix any internal injuries, but we won't be able to tell if there's any brain damage until after an MRI scan. And then it's just a waiting game to see if she wakes up and how she reacts to the treatment. We think there might be a higher possibility of some sort of recovery due to the fact that she was so cold when she was brought in. It could have prevented some damage, but if she wakes up, we'll know more."

"Again," Harry sighed. "It's not if. It's when. When she wakes up."

But Leo could tell the difference in Harry's voice, and could hear the doubt beginning to creep in. They both knew that from now on it was a waiting game, and there was nothing they could do about it.

And now they were sat in the waiting room again. A different waiting room, opposite the operating theatres, Harry pacing once again, his hands clenched in tight fists to stop them shaking.

He hated being in a waiting room. He felt useless. Harry had argued with the doctors that he wanted to be in the operating room with them, that he was a doctor and knew to just stand out the way, but they had refused. In the end, it was the senior doctor on charge that had had to speak to Harry and explain that it was against their policy to let anyone else in.

Harry had a feeling that the doctor didn't like him very much. Not that he cared.

"You're going to wear a hole in the carpet," Leo sighed eventually, his head leant against the wall, arms crossed as he watched Harry.

"I don't care," Harry muttered, not even looking up.

They waited for over an hour, Harry desperately checking his watch every other minute, before the door to the waiting room opened and Harry's head whipped round to check who had entered, his eyes falling on Janet's puffy red ones.

"Anything?" she asked, and both Harry and Leo shook their heads, Leo standing up and taking her into a tight hug.

Harry stood and watched them, the way Janet seemed to melt into Leo, her tears running down her cheeks and into Leo's shoulder. He watched the way they just held each other, no words necessary, and yet comforting each other without even trying.

They loved each other, Leo and Janet. Harry could tell, in just a simple hug. The way they seemed to hold each other like they never wanted to let go. Like the way Nikki hugged him whenever she was upset, and he tucked her under his chin, as if to keep her safe forever.

He loved Nikki. He loved her more than anyone else in the world.

And he needed her to hold, to hug, to keep safe and protect her from all the evils in the world.

But she wasn't there.

Leo and Janet sat down again, their fingers linking together, Janet resting her head on Leo's shoulder, tears still streaming down her face, and Harry suddenly felt lonely.

Any time that he was ever upset, ever worrying, the only person he wanted to be with was the one person that seemed so far away from him right now.

In the next hour, nothing much changed. There was no sign of any doctors, Harry continued to pace the small room, and Janet seemed to cry herself to sleep in the corner of the room, fingers still intertwined with Leo's. All that happened was that Harry became more and more anxious that he should have heard something by now.

He needed someone to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. He needed a shoulder to cry on, a soft familiar voice. Leo had Janet, but he needed someone there too, to stop the dark thoughts that had began to creep into his mind.

Taking out his mobile, Harry stepped out the waiting room and into the corridor which was nearly deserted, the sky still dark outside in the cold winter morning. Very early morning. Harry almost felt guilty about making the call, but he needed someone there with him.

Dialling her number, Harry put his phone to his ear and tried to control his breathing, working out what he was going to say when she picked up at the other end. After a few seconds, the call connected, and her tired voice appeared.

"Harry. Harry is that you? Why are you calling so early? Have you been out drinking again, I know what you're like? When are you going to learn that you're not as young as you used to be?"

She giggled slightly, but when there was no reply, her voice turned concerned.

"Harry, what's wrong? Are you ok? Are you in trouble?"

Harry felt his breath catch as he tried to speak, a single sob escaping his lips. Running his hand through his hair he slid down the wall, sitting on the corridor floor, the only word he was able to speak through his tears, "Mum."

* * *

It was simple.

That's what he kept telling himself.

There was a simple way to fix all of this. He had it all planned out in his head. There was no way that she was going to survive the night, he had seen the amount of blood when she was put in the ambulance. No, she could wait for now. He would visit the hospital in an hour or so and check that she was no longer a problem, and if by some miracle she had survived, he would have enough time to work out how to get rid of her. And make it look like an accident of course. That her injuries were just too great to survive.

Right now, his biggest priority was getting the other girls. He had to move them before they were found, otherwise everything was going to go wrong. He had to move them and get the young one ready for his big client. The client that he had promised his pure angel to. After he had given her over to him, he was going to make a lot of money. Although that in itself was a problem. It was Julia who spoke to the client, who arranged to time and place for him to arrive. He would have to get in contact with him soon if the new location was too far away from the original meet up point.

Then again, their normal meeting point was in a perfect location. Hidden between the trees and out of sight.

There was so much to organise in the next few hours.

He had looked through the maps he had under his desk at work and managed to find a location that would be perfect to move the girls to. He had even visited it on his lunch break a few days ago, made sure it was secure enough. If he moved them now, then he should be able to make it to the hospital before morning.

As he drove up to the barns, his car headlights the only source of light, he felt the first twitch of doubt in his mind. He hadn't thought about how he would move all the girls on his own, without Julia. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realised he was being stupid. The girls were terrified of him. All he had to do was make sure they knew he meant it when he said he would hurt them if they were to try and escape. If he moved them quick enough, then there would be no problems.

He didn't need Julia.

He had started all this on his own, and he was more than capable of continuing on his own now that Julia had gone and got herself killed.

Slamming his car door behind him, he made his way to the barn door, sliding out the small knife he kept in his coat pocket, as well as his torch.

"Right my angels," he shouted through the darkness. "Who's ready for a little adventure? I hope you don't miss your little friend too much but just think, this means that you get to enjoy more of the fun!"

He cackled to himself, not surprised by the lack of response he got back. They were terrified of him. And rightly so. He had made sure of it.

"I hope everyone is-" but the rest of his sentence was lost to the night as his hand came into contact with the door, that slowly moved under his palm.

It was open, the lock undone.

Frantically pulling open the door, he stepped inside and directed his torch around the room. But every corner was empty, the barn completely deserted. Running back outside again, he did a quick search of the surrounding area, shouting out as he did so, and yet there was nothing. No sigh of movement, no muffled sound.

They had gone.

Everything that he thought was going so right was now in jeopardy.

Screaming his frustration into the night air, he shoved the knife back into his pocket and got in his car. They had to around somewhere.

He would search for an hour before making sure that Nikki was no longer a problem.

Then he would find them. All of them. His angels.

And he would clip their wings one by one, and watch them fall.


	63. Chapter 63 - A Mother's Touch

**I don't even know how to start this. I am so, so, SO sorry for leaving it so long! I honestly didn't think it would take this long to get the next chapter up.**

**New job is hectic, been away loads on training, exams (and re-sits) have started already, laptop practically blew up, and this seemed to become impossible to write. It just didn't want to ****happen. Good news is, I have a fair idea of how the next few are going to go tho :) If anyone is still interested in it.**

**I would completely understand if you've given up on this by now :/ It's taken far too long for an update.**

**Anyway, THANK YOOOOOOU SO MUCH to all those who do read this still, and to WelshClaire, Lizziginne, Freya82, dinabar, LucySpiller, delectabledaisy, Thyqua, Izzy, pinkswallowsun, lms97, Cariad1987, Rachel and Socialitegirl - you won't believe how much you make me smile with you're reviews, and I love you all!**

**And a special thanks to D. She knows why :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 63 – A Mother's Touch

Anne Cunningham was not the kind of woman to over worry. She had brought up her son, her family, to stand on their own two feet and fight for what they believed in. It wasn't easy over the years, far from it, especially after everything that had happened with her husband. But as far as she was concerned, she had brought her son up to be a strong individual, and she couldn't be prouder of him.

And so, when Anne saw Harry's name flash across the screen of her mobile so late at night, her first thought was that he had called her by mistake. Again. She'd lost count of the number of times her phone had rang at three in the morning, and Harry had slurred his drunken words down the phone, evidently having rang the wrong person.

Obviously 'Mum' and 'Nikki' were a little too close together in his mobile's phonebook after he'd had a few too many to drink.

But this time, when Anne answered her phone, she could tell that something was wrong. There was no loud music in the background, no drunken giggles. After she had finished talking, he was silent, the only indication that he was still on the other end of the phone being his heavy breathing before his voice finally came down the phone.

"Mum…"

The sob that followed scared Anne. She hadn't heard Harry cry in years, not properly. She'd heard him scream at her. Heard him shout and yell his abuse at her for reasons best forgotten. And in that moment, she'd much rather have had the shouting, because it was far easier than listening to the heartbreak from the other end of the phone, knowing that she wasn't there to hold him and make it all better.

"Harry? Harry what's wrong? Harry calm down a minute and explain what's wrong, please."

It had taken over ten minutes before Anne had managed to extract the words 'Nikki', 'hospital' and 'don't know what to do' from her son, but it was all she needed to know.

It had felt strange, walking down the hospital corridors, not fully knowing what she was walking in to. She didn't know if there had been an accident, whether something had happened at work. All she knew for certain was that her son needed her, and so as much as Anne hated hospitals, she pushed everything aside as she went in search of Harry.

After being pointed in the right direction, it wasn't long before Anne saw someone pacing in front of one of the waiting room doors, running a hand through his scruffy hair, obviously shaking. It wasn't until he turned around again so that he was facing her that Harry stopped, dropping his arms to his side, his lip trembling.

It was more instinct than anything else, as Anne opened her arms and let Harry walk in to them like she used to do when he was a child, despite the fact that he now towered above her in height. And they just stood in the corridor, Harry sobbing into her shoulder, letting the nurses pass by them as they hurried in different directions.

Now however, Anne was sat in the waiting room, Harry's head resting on her knee after finally falling asleep. Not that he had wanted to go to sleep. She knew that he would be angry at himself for doing so when he woke again, but she also knew that he needed to rest. That he would be no use to anyone exhausted.

Leo sat opposite, mirroring Anne almost identically, Janet asleep on his shoulder. He had waited until Harry was sleeping before explaining everything that had happened, starting with the first case that they had received until the moment Harry had phoned her.

"Thanks," Anne smiled at Leo, stocking Harry's hair just as she did when he was young and wouldn't go to sleep. On the nights where Anne thought she was going to be up all night, explaining to Harry that his nightmares weren't real. There were no monsters under the bed. Or worse, the dreams about his dad returning weren't real either.

"For what?" Leo asked, confused.

"For looking after him," Anne said simply. "For making sure he didn't fly off the rails again. We both know what his temper is like."

Leo smiled back weakly and nodded.

"It's been a hard week for him. For all of us. He needs you here," Leo sighed. "He needs.-"

"He needs Nikki," Anne finished, and Leo gave her a knowing smile.

"He needs Nikki," Leo agreed, and the smile was suddenly lost again, replaced by an expression that was almost unreadable.

It was then that Janet stirred on Leo's shoulder, stretching out and rubbing her eyes.

"Any news yet," she asked immediately, slumping her shoulders when Leo shook his head.

"Nothing."

Janet smiled at Anne before standing and stretching again.

"I'm going to get a coffee," she said, looking between Leo and Anne. "I think we all need a caffeine fix. Won't be long."

Janet left, and a silence fell between them before Leo broke it.

"After last year. After… well, we both know what happened last year. But after, I thought things would be different," Leo frowned slightly as if he were thinking. "I thought that they would take the chance to be happy. Properly happy."

"You and me both," Anne sighed. "That phone call, the one from Nikki. It was- I don't want to think about how bad that day was. He knows that it was Nikki that told me. I think I shouted at him how unfair it was that she was the one that had to break the news, when it was obvious how much she was hurting. I shouted at him a lot last year, when he was home again."

Anne paused and smiled at Leo.

"You know the first thing I did when he walked through the door?" she asked, a smirk on her lips. "The first time I saw him again after having to see his face on the news. I threw a teapot at him."

"A teapot?" Leo asked, his mouth falling open slightly. "Why a teapot?"

"Because it was the nearest thing to hand," she laughed again, before sighing and running her hands through her son's hair once more, who was still asleep across the line of chairs that circled the waiting room. "You know then- not when I threw the teapot at him- when Nikki phoned me, it almost felt like… like… oh I'm being stupid."

"Like they should be together," Leo nodded, this time his turn to finish the sentence. "Like she'd just lost someone who was more than a friend."

"Yeah," Anne sighed again. "You know, I think I might have shouted that at him too that day. I can't really remember what I shouted at him exactly. Some stuff that I'm not proud of, I must admit, but I was just so angry, and relived and frustrated. That was before I burst into tears of course. It was a long night."

"I can imagine," Leo nodded. "Loosing a child, it's- it must have been strange seeing him again after everything. After having to go through the emotions of believing he was dead. It was hard enough when I phoned Nikki to tell her. To hear her crying and not being able to comfort her. Knowing that when she hung up, that was when she'd let it all out, cry herself to sleep. Alone. Without Harry."

"Why can't they see what we see Leo?" Anne asked simply, looking down at her son. "You'd think, working as pathologists, that they'd realise life's too short. That you have to make the most of it. They obviously have feelings for each other, why not act on those feelings?"

"Because then there's the chance of loosing their friendship," Leo smiled weakly. "I think that's the only thing that's kept them from going any further. I know that Nikki has feelings for Harry. And it's bloody obvious how Harry feels about her. Maybe this is the kick up the arse they both need."

Anne opened her mouth as if to reply, when the door to the waiting room flew open, and Harry suddenly jolted awake, on his feet within seconds.

Harry stared at the new arrival, before sighing a 'Oh it's you,' and taking a seat next to his Anne again.

"How is she?" Shaw asked hurriedly, and Anne heard Harry groan.

"We don't know," Leo explained. "She's in surgery. All we can do is wait."

"I tried to get here sooner," Shaw stammered. "But I couldn't get away from the scene. I work with bloody idiots, I'm sure of it. It took me over an hour just to work out where everyone was and to get the car off the road."

"Well we have everything under control here, you weren't needed anyway," Harry muttered.

"Harry!" Anne scalded, glaring at her son.

"It's fine, he's right," Shaw smiled. "I don't know if there was much I could have done here anyway. I just feel guilty, after you finally found her."

"Well he had some help," Leo nodded in Harry's direction. "Maddox was there too, wasn't he Harry?"

"Yup," Harry nodded, his eyes fixed to the door as if waiting for a doctor to appear.

"Is he here?" Shaw asked, turning to follow Harry's gaze.

"We haven't seen him since he appeared at the scene," Leo shook his head. "We thought he must have gone back to the office."

"He might have done," Shaw shrugged. "I came straight here once I finally got away, so he could be there now. I did try to call him earlier, but didn't get a reply. I'm sure he'll turn up at some point."

The change in Shaw's tone of voice was noticeable to them all, and Harry had the feeling that Shaw liked Maddox just as much as he did.

"Well here's hoping he'll decide to stay at the office," Harry announced loudly, standing up and beginning to pace the room again.

"Harry," this time it was Leo who glared at him. "Do you really think you'd be here right now if Maddox hadn't been there to help you?"

"Yes, I do actually," Harry stopped. "Why do you all think that the only reason I found her was because of Maddox? Yeah, maybe he pointed us in the right direction, but who's to say that I wouldn't have gone the same way if I was on my own?"

"Maddox pointed you in the right direction?" Shaw asked, frowning slightly. "How did he know what way to go?"

"I don't know, do I?," Harry said loudly, throwing his arms up. "And right now, I don't really care."

"But Maddox knew where Nikki was?" Shaw questioned again, and Harry paused, looking at Shaw.

"I don't know," Harry said quietly. "I don't think so, he just seemed to know which way was more likely."

Anne had never met Shaw or Maddox before, didn't know what they were like in the lightest, but she could tell that her son didn't particularly like the man standing in front of him, or the one mentioned in their conversation. And at the same time, what he had just said about Maddox had made Harry think. Anne could tell. His eyebrows were furrowed, the crease along his forehead more prominent.

Shaw's mobile began to ring, breaking any silence in the room, and snapping Harry from his daydream.

"Sorry," Shaw apologised, taking the phone from his pocket. "That'll be the office wanting me back. I'll try get back later to see how Nikki's doing. Make sure she's looked after properly."

Shaw nodded his head to each of them in the room before leaving, raising his mobile to his ear as he did so.

"Harry, whatever you're thinking, stop it," Leo warned, standing to face his colleague. "Stop it. You have to stay calm, for Nikki. Ok? You have to calm down."

"But did you hear him?" Harry exclaimed, pointing at the door through which Shaw had just left. "He's going to be back to 'make sure she's looked after properly.' I can look after her properly, Me! Not him. He doesn't even know her!

"Harry, he's just concerned about her, that's all. He wants her to get the best care possible, like we all do. He meant no harm by it."

Harry sighed loudly, before turning back to Anne who was watching her son as if waiting for him to loose his temper, like he had done so many times before.

"Why did you let me fall asleep?" he asked her, clenching his fists, but his voice was beginning to steady slightly. "What if she'd needed me, and I was sleeping?"

"I would have woke you up," Anne said quietly, and Harry closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Anne could see Harry trying to keep his temper and knew that it was taking a lot of effort. He'd always been the same, quick to fly off the handle and take his anger out on those he cared about. But she also knew that he was terrified of himself when he did so, as he reminded himself of his father. And Harry did not want to be like his dad.

"I'm going for a walk," Harry finally announced, opening his eyes to look around the room. "Alone."

* * *

As soon as Harry left the waiting room he let out a breath that he didn't realise he had been holding. He'd completely lost all sense of time, and it worried him. If he had managed to fall asleep with no news from the surgeon, then anything could have happened. She could have been in there for hours, or they could have given up by now and just not told them. He had had to fight just for the doctor not to stop, for him to try one last time to get her back. What if Nikki had needed him to fight for her again, and instead he had left her to battle it on her own while he slept?

Now that he was free from the confines of the waiting room, Harry didn't know what to go. Where to go. Part of him wanted to run away as far as he could from the hospital, to where he could pretend that everything was back to normal. And at the same time, he knew that he was needed where he was. There was no way that he would leave, no matter how much he wanted to, not when there was any chance that she would need him.

"Harry, is everything ok?" Harry turned round at the sound of his name to come face to face with Janet, her hands full of cups of steaming coffee.

Harry leant his head back and closed his eyes again.

"Sorry," Janet said. "Stupid question."

"Nothing is worse, if that's what you mean," Harry said, sliding down the wall to sit in one of the chairs outside the waiting room. "Well, it could be. They haven't told us anything. Nothing. We just have to sit here and wait, and there's nothing we can do!"

Harry clenched his fists again, ready to punch whatever was closest to him, but Janet sat down beside him and took a hold of his wrist, placing the coffees to one side.

Harry waited for her to tell him to calm down, just as his mum and Leo had, but she didn't say a thing. Just sat quietly as Harry battled to control his breathing and keep the tears from spilling at the same time.

"What if I was too late?" he muttered eventually. "What if I never get the chance to say I'm sorry? This is all my fault. I was supposed to look after her, not push her away. I knew there was someone out there, someone dangerous."

"There's always dangerous people around, Harry," Janet squeezed his wrist before letting go completely. "The worst thing you can do is keep thinking like this. And no matter what happened in the past, you're here now. And Nikki will know that. She'll know that you're here."

Harry smiled at Janet, unable to think of what to say, and they both fell into silence again. Together they sat in the hall, letting the coffees go cold, Harry counting the roof tiles in a failed attempt to keep his mind busy, and Janet remaining silent, but not moving. Harry knew it was a sign that she was there to listen if he wanted to talk. Like she knew he didn't really want to be on his own, and at the same time he couldn't sit and listen to Leo or his mum go on about Nikki's chances, or how long she had been in surgery.

And so he sat and counted, and told himself that it would all be ok, because there was on way that Nikki could leave him. There was no way that she would give up without a fight. And yet she had fought. She had fought hard, and now Harry didn't know what was happening.

"Dr Cunningham?" Harry turned immediately, the young doctor from earlier standing in front of him, and both he and Janet were on their feet in seconds.

"Can we see her now?" Harry asked immediately, no doubt in his mind that the news was going to be good. It had to be. There was no way that he wouldn't be able to see her.

"Dr Cunningham-"

"Just answer me," Harry spoke slowly before adding a reluctant "please."

"Soon," the doctor said, gesturing for Harry to sit down again, yet he didn't move. "Right. Well, everything went ok. It took a little longer than we thought, after a few complications. There was a lot more internal bleeding than we thought. And a few broken ribs had caused further damage that we weren't aware of until later on. But she's made it so far. The next forty-eight hours are crucial. And you know the risk of there being permanent… well, you're a doctor. You know-"

"That she'll pull through. That she's going to be fine," Harry finished. "She'll wake up. Nobody seems to realise how stubborn Nikki is. She's not going to give up that easily."

The doctor smiled weakly at the same time the waiting room door opened, Leo and Anne appearing wearing matching expressions.

"Harry?" Leo asked worried, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"We can go see her," Harry announced, turning to the doctor again. "Right?"

It wasn't so much a question but a statement, and the young doctor moved uneasily on his feet.

"Yeah. Yeah you can. If you just want to follow me, she's in one of our private rooms," the doctor turned and began to walk down the corridor.

"Private room?" Leo asked. "I'm glad to hear it. After everything she's been through, she deserves a little space. The last time-"

Leo paused, remembering how close they had been to loosing Nikki in the past. And at the same time he knew that this time was different. Harry had taken longer to find her this time. He was just relieved that he _had_ actually found her. He'd been silently preparing himself for the worst for the last few days, as much as he hated himself for thinking it.

"It's not standard procedure," the doctor said, slowing slightly. "We can't just pick and choose which patients get a private room, but the police officer was adamant that Miss Alexander should get her own room. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"I told you to trust Shaw," Leo muttered to Harry, but Harry only groaned in response.

He had to admit to himself that he was grateful for Shaw's input, but he still didn't like the guy. Because Shaw liked Nikki. He had been talking about taking her out for a drink, before she had gone missing. Shaw wanted to become part of Nikki's life, and Harry hated the thought.

"Through here," the doctor stopped completely, motioning to the door. "Just- just understand how serious her injuries were. Are. If she ever wakes up-"

"When," Harry growled, his patience wearing thin at the doctor's lack of optimism. "When she wakes up, I'll be there to make sure no one ever hurts her again. She's going to be fine. Just fine."

And leaving everyone else in the corridor, Harry took a deep breath and followed the sound of the bleeping machinery.

* * *

His hands felt numb in the cold. Numb to the point that they were beginning to hurt. But he didn't care. Didn't notice. He was too busy trying to work out what to do next.

How had everything gone so, so wrong?

After all his planning, all the time he had spent making sure that no evidence was left behind, Julia had gone and messed it up. He should never have let her get involved. He was doing just fine on his own before she convinced him that her input would make everything so much better.

And it had at first. He had enjoyed working with Julia. She had fuelled his ego. Made him believe that he was invincible. He could take whoever he wanted. Do whatever he wanted, to anybody.

And now?

Now he had a client demanding his service, or his money back. And he had neither. Jessica, his pure little angel he had promised to his client, was gone. And the client had paid him good money for her. Money which he had invested. Money he couldn't get back any time soon.

He flicked his silver cigarette lighter open and closed in his numb fingers, the cigarette ash falling from the end of the stub still sticking out his mouth.

He had to calm down.

The girls couldn't be far away. If he searched long enough, he'd be able to find them all again before they had a chance to tell anyone what was happening. He could sort this, all of this. He couldn't think of what would happen if he was unable to find them. If they went to someone and explained everything.

To be honest, he didn't even know why he was here right now. He should be out looking for the girls instead of standing at the sheltered entrance. But he needed time to think. Time to work out what he was going to do about the Nikki.

She might be dead by now for all he knew. She might be one less worry. He had seen how much blood there was. There was little chance of her surviving after the injuries he had inflicted on her, but the thought that she was alive long enough to make it to hospital worried him.

He have to move. Now. He had to hurry. Because he knew that the arrogant bastard from the station would appear soon. He'd want to check on Nikki, he'd want her to be alive. He might already be here, standing outside the waiting room, eager for news that she was going to make it. And he didn't want to see him right now if he decided to come outside for a break from it all. He saw enough of him at work to last a lifetime.

Pocketing his cigarette lighter and dropping the stub to the ground, he pushed himself off from the wall of the hospital and took out his car keys.

This was all going to end, tonight.


	64. Chapter 64 - Wrong Time, Wrong Place

**I don't even know how I can apologise enough, AGAIN, for leaving it so long. I am so terrible at updating!**

**There's no ****excuse, I should have updated ages ago, but then was ridiculously busy again and this refused to be written :( The only good thing is I managed to write a lot of the next chapter before this one, so HOPEFULLY the next will be updated sooner.**

**THANK YOU so so much to everyone who's still sticking with this, and a massive hug and thank you to Cariad1987, Lotte Elle, KiwiSWFan, Rachel, Dinabar, heleni0, Poppy M, The Thinking Woman MissyMayhem, EmmaJ1996, Ims97, mari27990 and pinkswallowsun - you guys are beyond amazing, you really are.**

**Hope everyone had a brilliant Christmas and New Year!**

**Sorry this one is a little jumpy again. The next one will move on quite a lot tho. Fingers crossed! :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 64 – Wrong Place, Wrong Time

He had driven for hours, checking everywhere he could think of for the missing girls, and had found nothing. No sign of anyone, no sign of where his angels had gone.

The only thing that kept him going was the fact that there had been nothing from the station to say that the girls had been found. If they had, he would have been the first to find out. Well, after the pretentious git he worked with who thought himself above all others. He still couldn't understand how anyone could bare to work with him, but he had to put up with it. Everyone else might run around after the idiot, kissing his arse, but not him. Never him.

But he was probably still at the office, acting as if he knew everything that was going on. Acting as if he was the only one who could solve the case. Whereas in reality, he didn't know a thing. He just thought he did.

But his radio had stayed silent. And this was of some comfort. He knew for certain that Jessica was desperate to get home, and would run back to her dad as soon as possible.

So no word from the station meant that they were still out there somewhere, trying to get home again. He just had to make sure they didn't make it that far.

But there was no sign of them. Nothing. He even went back to the barn, to check that he hadn't missed something. But there was nothing there.

After driving for miles and finding an all night petrol station to fill up, the sun began to slowly rise again, casting a hazy orange glow over his surroundings. It was still freezing outside, the frost glittering in the early sunlight, making every surface glimmer. He had had to pull over for a few hours sleep after feeling his concentration beginning to waver, waking with a start and an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He was so used to order in his life. Timetables, schedules, routine. His line of work was hardly simple, but until recently he had managed to keep everything under control.

He was in control. Was. Now he was all over the place, travelling along roads he had never seen before, looking for a group of girls that could ruin everything if they managed to speak before he found them.

It was all such a mess.

The road he was travelling along now was small and deserted, just a few miles from the barn that he had spent most of his time at for the last few months. Part of him longed to be back there, have it back to how it used to be. When he had the power to do whatever he liked to whomever he liked.

He suddenly felt angry with himself, hitting the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. When did he let himself get so weak? He was a powerful man, he had proved that with the trail of blood he had left over he past few weeks. He would find the girls, and he would stop all this from ruining everything, he would be in charge again.

"Excuse me," he shouted out the window to a passing pedestrian who was carrying a small shopping bag. "Sorry to bother you, I'm looking for my daughter. You haven't seen a group of girls around have you? You know what teenagers are like, told her she couldn't stay out and first thing she does is disobey us."

He laughed slightly, but to anyone close enough they would be able to see how insincere it was. The town was close enough for the girls to be hiding, but he still knew that they would be desperate to get home.

"No, sorry," the woman shook her head. "I haven't seen anyone. But if I do, I'll let them know you're looking for them."

"Thanks," he nodded, pulling over and checking his phone again.

Still nothing from the office.

He breathed deeply, trying to control the shaking of his hands. This wasn't supposed to happen. None if this. How had everything gone so wrong, so fast? He knew he shouldn't have trusted Julia. All she had to do was drive from A to B, and she managed to kill herself on the way. This was her fault, all of it. He had been perfectly fine on his own, everything had gone to plan when it was just him.

Julia had ruined so much. But she wasn't the only one to blame. The problems had started when he had chosen Nikki Alexander as his latest victim. This was his price for having a little fun. She was never supposed to be used like the other girls. The only use he had for her was watching her die. And he had had so many ideas of how he was going to kill her.

Some of which were still playing through his mind.

Because if she had somehow survived, he would have to make sure that it wasn't for long.

Checking his rear view mirror, he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, and carried on his search.

* * *

Harry finally fell asleep in the chair next to Nikki, after pulling it as close to her as possible. Anne knew that he would wake up with a stiff neck with the angle at which he'd fallen asleep, but she couldn't bring herself to move him now that he had finally drifted off. And so instead she covered him with a spare blanket, kissed the top of his head, and left the room again to meet Leo and Janet outside.

It has been a long night and Anne could feel her own eyes sting with tiredness, but it was only now that Harry was back with Nikki that Anne felt as if she could go home for a few hours.

It seemed like Leo and Janet had the same idea, both of whom were sitting outside Nikki's room, holding hands but remaining silent. Leo looked up as Anne sat next to him and smiled slightly.

"You should get some sleep too," he said. "You must be exhausted."

"You read my mind," Anne sighed, leaning her head back.

"You can come back to ours if you'd rather," Janet offered. "It's closer. Just in case you want to come back here later."

Janet didn't say it, but they all knew what she meant with her last words. Nikki was far from out the woods, and they all knew that if anything changed, Harry would need someone there again. He was strong, but he couldn't do this on his own.

"Thanks," Anne smiled. "I might take you up on that. Don't think I should be falling asleep at the wheel."

Janet opened her handbag and passed Anne her house keys.

"Just in case you ever need in and we're not there. I think we're going to have to sort a few things out at work before we get some sleep."

Anne nodded, yawned, and stood up again.

"Thank you both," she smiled. "I think I'll take you up on that offer. Harry's sound asleep, and hopefully he'll stay like that for a while. Right now he has everything he needs, but I'm sure he'll phone if anything changes."

* * *

Anne, Leo and Janet left together, Leo dropping Anne of at his home before making his way to the Lyell Centre. He wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and attempt to sleep, it had after all been a long night. But he also knew that the body of Julia Lyons would have arrived at the Lyell by now, and he was the only one who could perform the necessary procedures.

And so, Leo found himself standing in the cold cutting room, a small blade in his hand, looking down on the pale features of a woman he had once watched laugh in his office with Harry. Someone who he thought he'd see a lot of in the coming months, and who instead had become caught up in something Leo only dared to imagine.

The young officer that had been sent to overlook the postmortem stood by the sink, his skin almost the same colour as Julia's.

"First one?" Leo asked him, and the officer nodded.

"Yeah. I knew I'd have to at some point, I just didn't think it would be this soon. But everyone seems to have been sent out some place or another, and Shaw's really busy with this case, and Maddox has seemed to have disappeared, and Farrow is all over the place because his daughter is still missing, so no one really knows where they should be and- oh, I don't think I can do this-"

The young officer suddenly covered his mouth with his hand as Leo picked up a larger blade and placed it on Julia's skin.

"Don't feel like you have to stay," Leo smiled sympathetically. "If you'd rather watch from the balcony, I can give you a summary of the findings before you go back to the station. I won't mention it to anyone."

"Thanks," the officer stuttered as he dashed from the cutting room in the direction of the bathroom.

Leo looked back at the features of the woman in front of him, her hair streaked with blood, her skin covered in angry marks that indicated internal damage. Leo had no doubt that she had been killed outright, but he still had to go through the same procedures as always. Had to cut the skin, study the organs, analyse the body of a woman who was once romantically involved with Harry.

Of someone who he had once trusted. Had liked even. Which was unusual with Harry's love interests. Usually they were young airheads who were more interested in trying to eat Harry's face than talk to him, but Julia seemed different. Seemed genuine somehow.

But she couldn't have been genuine, could she? Not if she had been in the same car as Nikki. She had to be involved somehow.

With a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, Leo reminded himself that this was not the first of Harry's love interests he had found himself stood over as they lay on the slab. And then just as quick he shook the thought from his head, hating himself for thinking it. Harry was single, he was confused. It was obvious that there was only one person that Harry had loved for many years now, and the woman in front of him was not the one.

The post mortem had been straight forward, with nothing out of the ordinary; Julia had died from a severe head wound, killing her instantly. Everything else seemed consistent with the crash; the seatbelt bruises, the broken ribs, and then… Leo paused, a dread flooding his system as he stepped away from the body.

Julia was pregnant.

This was the last thing Leo had been expecting, and certainly the last thing he had wanted to find. Harry had already gone through loosing his unborn child with Anna, and he knew for a fact that the only reason he had got through it was because of Nikki. She had managed to keep his head clear enough to move on when they had got back to London, had held him when he was upset. She had been the only reason Harry had survived.

But what if she wasn't there this time? What if he was going to lose more than one person in his life again?

Leo signed, breathing deeply, hating himself for thinking such a thing. Harry was not going to loose Nikki. It wasn't going to happen. But if this _was _his baby, then he knew that the guilt Harry felt now was only going to escalate.

Stepping away from Julia, Leo looked over the body of the man on the slab on the other side of the cutting room. Another innocent victim in this whole mess.

He was young, only in his twenties, with dark hair and a handsome face. He would be missed, Leo knew that for sure, and somehow he couldn't quite bring himself to perform the postmortem for this guy. Surely his family deserved to see him one last time. He had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and right now he couldn't care less how quickly the police wanted answers, this PM could wait.

So instead Leo picked up the camera from the table at the end of the slab and began taking pictures of the wounds, leaving the scalpels well alone. He knew the results would be similar to Julia's; head wound, internal damage, broken bones. He had seen his fair share of RTA's over the years, and this one looked no different. Neither of them had stood a chance.

And yet Nikki had managed to escape the wreckage. She had managed to run, to survive.

Leo pulled off his surgical gloves and sank to the floor, his head against the wall. It was only now that he had stopped, that he had nothing to focus on, he had time to think about what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. How different things were now, and how close they had come to changing forever.

The young officer hadn't appeared on the balcony, and Leo had the suspicion that he had instead emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet, before finding a strong coffee to steady his nerves.

Leo closed his eyes, exhaustion threatening to take over, not daring to look at his watch. He had lost all sense of time since he had arrived at the crash scene with Harry, and now he felt as though he could curl up on the cutting room floor and sleep for a week.

The last thing he wanted to do was go back to the body of Julia, and yet he knew he had to clean up, move the body to the fridge, take the last of the photos. But he couldn't face looking at the woman any longer. She held so many answers, and he had no idea how to find them. She had something to do with this, and he didn't know what it was.

He was letting everyone down. He was letting Nikki down. He was supposed to know the answers, and the only thing he could think about was the baby…

It wasn't until his mobile buzzed along the counter by the sink that Leo forced himself to stand again, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve. He was surprised to see Harry's name flash across the screen as he opened his phone to answer his text.

'Check the DNA.'

Leo rubbed his eyes and sighed to himself, pushing his phone away again. He knew that Harry would still be blaming himself for what happened, but thought that he'd be asleep longer. Then again, Leo could have been in the cutting room for hours. He probably had.

But Harry had already checked the DNA that was found under Jennifer's nails, and there was no similarity to her own. Whoever she had struggled against, they weren't related to her. It couldn't have been Julia because the DNA couldn't have belonged to her sister. But if Leo didn't check, Harry wouldn't let it rest, and it would just be another reason to hate himself.

And now, Leo was so desperate for any kind of answer, that he would try anything. Maybe if he could prove that Julia had had nothing to do with her sister's murder it would somehow make this a little better.

Maybe Julia was just another person in the wrong place at the wrong time.

* * *

"Freya!"

The room of girls froze, their eyes meeting and all turning to face Freya, who was on her feet and hesitating at the door.

Roxy sounded worried. And that worried Freya.

"Freya it's me, I need to talk to you," Roxy announced from the other side of the door.

Pulling the door open, Roxy entered slowly, smiling at the girls. She could see how nervous they were, and she wasn't going to make it any better. She had let the girls into her home with little hesitation, and hadn't questioned their need for help. But now it was serious.

"Roxy I'm sorry," Freya started quickly. "I know we're imposing, and I know we turned up here last night with no warning, but we didn't know where else to go."

"Freya, calm down," Roxy smiled, taking her by the arm and pulling her into a tight hug. "You know you're always welcome here."

The tears were now running down Freya's cheeks, and Roxy wiped them away with her thumb.

"There's some things I can't tell you," Freya shook her head. "And I'm really, really sorry, but I can't tell you. We can't tell anyone."

"I understand," Roxy said calmly. "But I have to ask you something. This morning, when I went out to the corner shop for a pint of milk, there was a car. It pulled up, and I don't know if it has anything to do with you girls, but he was asking if I'd seen his daughter."

The other girls were all looking at each other now, seeming to huddle closer together.

"His daughter," Freya repeated, and Roxy nodded. "What did you tell him? Did you mention us?"

"Of course not," Roxy replied quickly, taking hold of Freya's arms in an attempt to calm her down. "I didn't mention a thing. Told him that I hadn't seen anyone all morning. Freya, I don't care what's going on, but what does this mean?"

Freya looked around at the other girls before turning back to Roxy.

"It means we have to stay here a little longer, if that's ok with you," Freya said hopefully.

"You can all stay here as long as you need," said Roxy. "You'll be safe here, I promise."

* * *

Harry leant back in the soft chair by her bed, the blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his eyes fixed to his best friend in front of him. He didn't want to look away from her, as if she'd disappear from him again if he did so. And yet watching her was just as painful; her skin was still worryingly pale, tubes and wires wrapping themselves around her small frame. If he couldn't see her chest slowly rising and falling, he wouldn't have believed that he hadn't lost her already.

The room in which he was sitting was larger than he had expected, with a long couch at one end and a small table on which a vase of flowers had been placed. As much as Harry hated to admit it, he was glad that Shaw had organized the separate room. He had seen how crowded it could get on the main ward, and right now that was the last thing they needed. He'd have to thank Shaw when he next saw him, after all it was something that Harry hadn't even thought of. Then again, Harry had tried to be civil to Shaw before, and always seemed to fail at the last minute.

He just didn't like the guy, there was nothing more to it.

And he knew for a fact that the reason he had never liked him was because of how he had made Nikki smile when he had visited them at the Lyell. He liked her, he had asked her to go out for drinks, he was there and Harry had pushed her away.

But now Harry wasn't going anywhere. He was never leaving her again, never telling her that he didn't want her. Because it wasn't true. Not in the slightest. She was all he wanted, and always had been. He was an idiot, had messed everything up. But things were going to change.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion again, as if Harry couldn't quite focus on anything other than the blonde hair in front of him. The world could have ended around him and he wouldn't have noticed. Wouldn't have cared.

"I'm going to make this better," Harry muttered, more to himself than to Nikki. "I promise. I'm going to make everything okay again."

And for the first time in a long time, Harry believed his words.

Because there was no way he was ever going to let them hurt her again.


	65. Chapter 65 - Believe Again

**I nearly got two updates in a month! Nearly! Which is terrible, because this should have been finished ages ago, I'm sorry!**

**Been away again, and couldn't take my laptop with me, so had to finish typing this up when I got back, then couldn't get it to work.**

**But THANK YOU so much to everyone who is still sticking by this. You are more amazing that you'll ever know. And a massive thank you to kiwiSWFan, Littlefoot19, EmmaJ1996, Izzy, mari27990, Afroza-IX, dinabar, Rachel and IW (he gets them in Death's Door, s12) for reviewing the last chapter :D I love you all!**

**Sorry this is so long. Harry didn't want to stop talking. I promise I'll have a reading catch up session too, I've missed all your amazing fics!**

**This chapter very nearly had Delta Goodrem's 'Believe Again' lyrics in it, but ended up just getting the title instead.**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 65 – Believe Again

The days that passed since Leo's examination of the bodies seemed to drag by, each day bringing more uncertainty but little change. The wife of the victim involved in the other car came to identify the body and Leo had to stand and watch, a lump forming in his throat at the image of Harry standing in front of him, rather than Mrs Ford. Another innocent victim, another family torn apart. And for what? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For getting in the way of the monster who didn't care who he hurt.

Harry had barely left the hospital, adamant that he would sleep on the sofa in Nikki's room every night until she woke up, and eventually the nurses had brought through a small fold-out bed for him instead. Leo tried to spend as much time with them as he could, but had to spend a frustrating amount of time at the office. He had lost count of how many nights he had spent at the office to catch up on the outstanding paperwork, or perform a late post mortem, not having the heart to call Harry and ask him to come in.

He could manage. He had to. He had to hold everything and everyone together.

Anne had spent her time split between his and Janet's house and her own, taking Harry food and clean clothes, sitting with him to make sure that he was actually eating.

As for finding the person responsible for the mess they had found themselves in, Leo felt as if they were moving backwards rather than progressing. It almost felt like he was fighting everything on his own when he was at work, the office was so quiet. He had seen little of Maddox or Shaw over the last four days, each of them visiting the Lyell Centre to update Leo on what was happening, before disappearing again.

Shaw always asked how Nikki was doing; offering his help each time, and Leo had the suspicion that he was unwilling to ask in front of Harry. Leo knew that Shaw had feelings for Nikki; he had asked her out after all, before everything happened. He had managed to get her a private room at the hospital, which had helped more than he would ever know. Leo didn't know how Harry would have coped if he couldn't have spent so much time with her.

Maddox however seemed more concerned that Harry had yet to return to the Lyell, and was adamant that the investigation would suffer if Harry wasn't back soon. Leo had never known a detective who planned his day to a schedule quite like Maddox, and he often found himself cutting his conversations short with him after Maddox announced he had to go.

But thankfully for Leo, Maddox had left the Lyell Centre precisely on time once again that morning, and so he was able to close his office door and visit the hospital.

Leo was far from surprised when he entered Nikki's room to find Harry slumped in the chair next to her bed, fast asleep with his hand resting next to Nikki's. His eyes flew open however when Leo closed the door, sitting upright again.

"Sorry," Leo muttered.

Harry simply shook his head, smiling weakly, before leaning back again.

"How is she?"

"No change," Harry yawned, blinking hard. "The doctor's keep coming in, they say the same things, they look at me the same way, and then they leave."

"And what do they say?" Leo asked gently.

"That there's still no response, and all we can do is 'keep her comfortable and wait.' Wait for what Leo, what are they expecting to happen," Harry frowned. "They won't listen to me."

"Then don't listen to them," Leo smiled. "Just keep fighting them, like Nikki. How many of the doctors expected her to still be with us now? How many of them listened to you that first night? And now, four days later, she's still fighting, like you said she would be."

"It's been four days?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes again.

"It has," Leo laughed slightly, tiredly.

"I should have been at work," Harry turned to Leo. "I've left you on your own, with the PM's and the paperwork, and Maddox and Shaw-"

"Harry, don't worry," Leo smiled, sitting next to Harry and passing him a cup of coffee. "I've got everything under control, PM's are done, paper work is nearly finished. You're needed here."

There was a silence between them, apart from the steady beeping of machinery as they drank their coffee. It was Harry that broke it.

"Thanks Leo."

Leo smiled back, leaning back slightly to mimic Harry. He didn't know whether to approach the next subject or not.

"Harry," Leo started, knowing that it had to come up eventually. "Do you remember a few nights ago, when I was performing the PM on Julia-" there was a pause again, before Leo continued. "Remember the text you sent me, about checking the DNA?"

"It was Julia, wasn't it?" Harry said before Leo could continue. "It was Julia's DNA that we found under Jennifer and Ray's fingernails?"

"It was," Leo sighed.

Harry closed his eyes again, breathing deeply.

"Nikki told me to check," Harry mumbled. "She said she suspected Julia had something to do with it, that she was involved in her sister's murder, and I ignored her. I told her she couldn't have had anything to do with it. If I had listened-"

"Don't you dare," Leo interrupted. "Don't even think about it Harry. This is why I haven't told you sooner, because I knew you would do this. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this. Nothing."

"But I pushed her away Leo," Harry exclaimed, leaning his head back. "I believed Julia, and I pushed Nikki away. I should have been protecting her, and I didn't."

"If you're going to carry on blaming yourself Harry I'm not going to involve you in any of this case," Leo warned.

Harry nodded, but Leo knew that he still blamed himself.

"Did you find anything else?" Harry asked. "With Julia."

"No," Leo lied automatically, playing with the side of his coffee cup. "Typical RTC injuries. I've taken samples from under her nails and off her clothing to try and find something. I'm still waiting for the results though, it sounds like it could be a couple of days yet before I get them, they're snowed under with other cases too ."

Harry nodded, before turning to Leo.

"What do I do now Leo?" he said quietly. "What do I do to make this better? You've got everything covered at the Lyell, Janet's busy at work, mum's here as much as she can, bringing everything I need, and all I've done for the last four days is sit here. What am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to sit there for another four days," Leo frowned. "Or five, or six, or however long it takes. You're going to sit there and talk to Nikki, and she'll listen, and if I need you at work I'll call you."

Harry nodded again, opening his mouth to reply and then closing it again.

"You have been talking to her, haven't you?" Leo asked, and Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Harry, you know when- when- what I mean is, it helps. It really helps. Don't feel embarrassed, or stupid, or- I don't know. Just talk to her Harry, like you always do."

"Nikki does the talking," Harry sighed. "She did the talking when we visited you in hospital."

"And now it's your turn," Leo stated. "Don't give up now Harry, not after all you did that first night. You are the one who persuaded the doctor's to continue, you are the one who sat up all night waiting for news, and has refused to leave her now. Yes, maybe you feel guilty about what happened, but now is the time to put all that behind you and make every day count from now on. It won't be easy, but you can make it happen."

The silence fell between them yet again, yet it was not uncomfortable nor unexpected. This time it was Leo's turn to break it.

"I have to get back to the Lyell," he announced, standing up and pushing his chair back as Harry finished off the last if his coffee. "I'll chase the test results when I get back, and hopefully we'll have them by the end of the week. I've let Maddox know about the link between Julia and Jennifer, which means that he now seems even less contactable, but I'm sure he's just as busy as we are."

"As you are you mean," Harry corrected him, and Leo sighed.

"Stop it Harry," he said firmly. "The Lyell is coping fine without you at the moment. You never write your reports at the best of times anyway."

Harry laughed slightly, and Leo was sure he saw a small smile just visible on his lips.

"I'll call you if I need you," said Leo.

"Likewise."

"Look after her," Leo nodded in the direction of Nikki. "I'm serious Harry, talking helps."

Harry nodded, and Leo outstretched his hand in Harry's direction.

"Coffee cup," he said simply. "I've seen the state of your desk. If I don't bin it for you now it'll just sit there for days."

Harry handed it over and Leo made his way to the door.

"Get talking," he raised his eyebrows on the way out. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Leo shut the door behind him and walked down the corridor away from his colleagues, before taking a small evidence bag from his pocket and dropping Harry's cup inside it. He felt guilty about not telling Harry what he had found during Julia's post mortem, but he also knew that this was not the time to drop such news on him. Harry had other things to worry about, and this way, Leo would be able to eliminate Harry as a possible father for Julia's unborn child.

He hoped more than he could ever explain that he could eliminate Harry.

It wasn't really going behind his back if he was doing it for Harry's own good, was it?

* * *

"The doctor said that this would probably be a waste of time. Well they didn't say it quite like that, but I know that's what they're thinking. I've seen the way they look at me every time they come in. But they're wrong, because I know that you can hear me. You never miss anything. Not one little thing."

Harry rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead, breathing deeply. He knew Leo was right, but he still felt awkward as he continued to talk to Nikki. Ever since he had realised it was Nikki's car in front of him at the crash site, it was as if his world had just stopped dead. Frozen in time. Nothing seemed to make sense.

"So here I am," Harry continued. "Your favourite punch bag, and annoying best friend. I'm sorry I've been quiet lately. I've been – well – I was scared. I still am scared. Terrified actually. But Leo told me that when he was – when we nearly lost him – he remembered us talking to him, and so I eventually managed to get my act together and talk to you.

"Do you remember that list you wrote for Leo? About all the things he did that annoyed you? I don't think he ever found out just how long that list was, did he? Which is probably a good thing. I haven't made you a list of all the things that annoy me about you, because we both know I'd be here all day!

"Of course, the list of things I love about you is ten times longer."

Harry smiled to himself, and blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. He had to stay strong; he couldn't afford to break down just yet.

"I know for a fact that you can hear me right now Nikki. I know you're listening, because there is no way that you would miss out on material that you can use to blackmail me with later. I can't seem to keep anything from you, you always find out sooner or later.

"Remember that time when I booked for us to go ice skating for your birthday, and it was supposed to be a surprise, but you just happened to listen in on the conversation I was having with Leo? I think I spent more time on my backside that day than I did on my feet, much to your amusement if I remember correctly. You know I had a bruise for weeks after you tripped me up… then fell on top of me.

"I still remember the look on that old couple's faces. You know, the ones that were there with their grandchildren and seemed to glare at us every two minutes. Mind you, it was probably down to the fact that you wouldn't stop squeaking every time you wobbled. I think that's why I fell over so much – you used me to steady yourself. And then when you knocked us both over, we couldn't move for laughing, and every time I tried to pull you to your feet you slipped again and knocked us both flying.

"Bambi on ice doesn't even come close to your skating skills Nikki.

"But I didn't mind. Not one bit. Because you were smiling, and laughing, and holding my hand… and afterwards you snuggled up to me as we went to get a coffee. And plasters for the blisters that covered our feet because we were too stubborn to stop before our time was up."

Harry leant back in the chair by her bed and was surprised to find the small smile that was creeping to his lips as he continued.

"Oh, or the time that I hid your Christmas present in my desk, and you still managed to find it. Even though it was underneath about a million files and tucked at the very back. I knew you'd go looking though, didn't I? I knew that you'd go straight to my desk in search of it, and I thought I was being clever, and for once out smarting you by leaving you that note telling you to go away. But you managed to find it anyway.

"How you knew that I hid it with the tea bags I will never know. You don't even drink tea, so why you would have any excuse to go anywhere near them is beyond me.

"This year, I'm going to hide it in an extra special place, where there is no chance of you finding it, no matter how hard you look. And I know you'll look. You always do. Even though you never open it, and if I even suggest opening mine before Christmas morning I am scolded repeatedly."

Harry leant forward again, taking Nikki's hand and holding it tightly with both of his below his chin.

"That's why I know that you're listening Nikki. That's why I know that you'll come back to me. Because you are so unbelievably stubborn. There is no way that you would let this beat you. Who would annoy me and Leo at work if you were gone? It would be far too quiet without you there. I bet Leo would make me work too. I know as well as you that the only reason I get away with so much is because you're there to cover for me.

"To be honest, I think Leo knows that too. Even though he would _never _admit to something like that. Ever.

"Why you get away with so much though I really don't know. Actually I think I do. It's that charm you use. Yes Nikki, you even have a special little thing you do to Leo that is so completely different to the spell that you seem to be able to put on the Detectives, and yet Leo falls for it every single time. Every. Single. Time.

"Mind you, the one you use for the Detectives does come in useful sometimes."

Harry rolled his eyes and looked around the room.

"I know that Shaw likes you Nikki. I know he was there for you before- before all of this. I know he asked you out for a drink, and that you like him. He even managed to get you your own room when I was too busy shouting at doctor's to think of anything like that. And I don't dislike him Nikki, but- well, I understand if you want to get to know him better later, after everything I said to you. Everything I did. But I promise Nikki, that will never happen again.

"I know that Shaw is a nice guy, but I want to be the one who invites you out for drinks, and takes you to see a movie, and takes you home after work. I want to continue to be your best friend. I want to be enough for you Nikki, without you meeting other guys.

"I want- I want a lot of things, but most of all, I want you to be happy. And I promise you, that's what I'm going to do from now on. I'm going to make you happy."

Harry wiped the tears roughly from his eyes with the back of his sleeve and pressed his lips to Nikki's hand, which was still enclosed tightly between his.

"I miss you Nikki," he whispered. "I miss you not being at my desk, and filling my space with hairbrushes and lip gloss and perfume and who knows what else you scatter across there.

"I miss you eating the last of my super noodles from the cupboard. And my chocolate from the fridge. And the fizzy cola bottles that I keep in my desk drawer, which really I only buy because you like them so much.

"I miss your strawberry shampoo and the way you plait your hair when you get out the shower, where all the shorter bits at the front go curly as they dry.

"I miss our Friday movie nights where we usually drink far too much wine, and I end up sleeping on your couch. It's not the most comfortable place you know, and I usually end up with a stiff neck the next day, but it's worth it every week just to spend the time with you. I even miss Lethal Weapon, and I never thought I'd actually say that.

"But most of all Nikki, I miss your laugh. Your smile. The way the room instantly seems brighter when you walk into it, and the way the light always seems to catch the sparkle in your eyes.

"Those eyes let you get away with so much, and yet most of the time I think you're unaware of the impact that you have on people. 'The eyes are the window to the soul' sounds so cliché right about now, but I think you prove how true that statement can be. They show how special you are. How trustworthy, and genuine, and persistent you are, and they always seem to glimmer with life, no matter how bad things get around you. Around us. So please Nikki, please just open your eyes, let me see that sparkle again.

"If it wasn't for you Nikki, I wouldn't be here. I know that sounds melodramatic but it's true. After Hungary, and everything that went on there… well, I went to a dark place. A place full of self pity and guilt, and I could feel the darkness trying to take over. But you were my light. My guiding star. If it wasn't for you, I know that darkness would have won… 'like father like son' springs to mind. As much as I hate myself for even thinking it.

"I was so close to visiting that place again last week. So very close. I could feel the darkness creeping up on me, but I knew that I had to fight it. I had to fight to stay away from it, fight to keep it from taking over, fight for you.

"And that's why you need to fight too. I can help you, but I can't do it all on my own. Because I know that if you ever give up, if you leave me, then I'll lose the battle against the darkness. And without you I'd gladly let it consume me."

Harry breathed in deeply, letting the sob catch in his throat before continuing.

"I've realised I can't live without you. I can't Niks. All those times that I thought I'd be able to pack up and leave, move to another pathology unit, become a professor… there was one thing keeping me tied to this place, tied so tight that there was no way that I could ever, ever leave. And it was you. I could never leave without you. Ever.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd miss the Dragon too, but in a completely different way. I did try to change the definition of dragon by the way, on Wikipedia, but I couldn't work out how to do it. You're going to have to show me when you're back at the office.

"Anyway, I've just realised I've been talking to you for ages now, which rarely happens. Usually I can't get a word in edgeways with you. I'm sure you'll make up for it soon though. And remind me of all the things I've been blabbering on about, most of which probably doesn't make sense.

"I know I've said things in the past Nikki that I haven't meant. I've said some things that I wish I could take back, and you know what they are, but I promise you that everything I've said today is true. I miss you more than you'll ever know, and it hurts so much finally having you back, having you so close, and being unable to give you a hug.

"I am so, so sorry about what I said to you Nikki, about what I did to you," Harry's breath caught on another sob as he ran a finger across the mark on the side of her head that he knew he had caused. "And I promise you that that will never, ever happen again. Not ever.

"Because I didn't mean anything of what I said to you that night. I do want you Nikki, more than you'll ever know. I want you in my life, every part of my life, forever. I need you.

"I need you Nikki. I don't care how selfish that sounds, I need to know that you'll be there every morning when I wake up, that you'll be sitting at my desk when I get to work, eating my fizzy cola bottles and using the last of the coffee. I need you to remind me when I have a report due, and warn me when Leo's coming so I can close my game of Solitaire before he sees.

"I need you in every sense of the word Nikki. So please, please come back to me. Keep fighting, and prove the doctor's wrong. Don't give up on me that easily, not after everything we've been thorough together. Because I am never, ever going to give up on you.

"I need you. I miss you," Harry leant over until his lips were inches from Nikki's ear before whispering, "I love you Nikki" and kissing her softly on the forehead.

And then there was no strength left in Harry to keep his tears under control as he leant his head against the side of Nikki's bed, her hand still enclosed in his, and let his tears flow freely, running down his nose and into the sheets.

Harry wouldn't have known if anyone had passed the room, or even entered. He didn't have the energy to think about anyone watching him, because in that very moment, nothing else mattered. All embarrassment about talking to Nikki was gone, and he suddenly realised how stupid he had been. Leo was right. Leo was always right. He should have spoken to Nikki ages ago.

Closing his eyes, Harry managed to steady his breathing again, and all was still, relaxed. The machinery continued to beep, the pressure behind Harry's eyes subsided, and the small movement between his hands tickled his palms…

Harry's eyes suddenly flew open, his whole body freezing as he held his breath, concentrating, trying to work out if what he had felt was just his tired mind playing tricks on him.

But then slowly, so very slowly, he saw Nikki's eyes flicker open. It was only for a few seconds, and yet it was enough for them to connect with Harry's, before they closed again, a tiny twitch of a smile appearing on her lips that only Harry would have noticed.

Finally letting out the breath he had been holding, Harry squeezed Nikki's hand between his own, and this time felt the weak attempt at squeezing it back.

And suddenly, Harry's world seemed to start spinning again.


	66. Chapter 66 - Awake

**Usually I start this bit by telling you all I'm sorry for leaving it so long. But this time, I don't really think that's enough, is it? But I am SO sorry for the wait for this one! Life has been a little crazy recently between work, courses, family stuff and relationship disasters, ****that I haven't had the time to sit down and write anything. Then when I did, nothing would work.**

**I'm not happy with this chapter, and I apologise for the jumpiness of it, but I HAD to get something up before I gave up on it completely. To every one of you out there who is still reading this, THANK YOU, you're the reason this is still going when I was so close to giving up on it. I really am sorry for leaving it so long.**

**And to Rachel, IW, KiwiSWFan, dinabar, Freya82, mari27990, CSI Encyclopedia, charliecharlie, socialitegirl, EmmaJ1996, Izzy and HesitantHedgehog, THANK YOU for reviewing the last chapter, it honestly means so much to know its still going ok :D**

**I don't blame you if you've given up on this, but I promise, it will be completed. I can't bring it this far and not finish it :)**

**The next update will be sooner. It will! And I promise to get round to reading again soon too.**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 66 – Awake

"You said last week. You said everything was under control, that she was worth it. And now your 'assistant' won't even answer my calls. I wasn't going to contact you directly, but it looks as if I have no choice. I thought I made it clear how important this was. I thought, with the amount of money I gave you, you'd make sure that there were no mistakes," there was a pause, neither man daring to speak. "It looks like I was wrong."

"No, no you weren't wrong," the change of tone in the callers voice seemed to make him more alert, shake him back to reality. "There's just been a little delay. I promise I'll make it worth your wait."

"But I don't like to wait. If I hadn't wanted her last week, I wouldn't have planned everything for then, would I?"

"I know how frustrating this is, but-"

"No, you don't. You don't know anything. You had one job, deliver her on time. And you failed."

"You'll have her," the desperation in his voice was evident, no matter how much he tried to hide it. "You'll have her."

"You have until the end of the week. Friday night, I'll be waiting. Same place. And if she's not there, then you better hope you have a one way ticket so somewhere far, far away."

"She'll be there," his voice was sterner this time, more controlled.

"Oh, and just so you don't think I've forgiven you that easily," the caller added casually. "I am expecting a refund for my troubles. After all, I've given you all the money already, and so far have received nothing. That's hardly what you'd call a good service now, is it?"

"But we'd agreed-"

"We had agreed last week," the caller cut in sharply. "Half the money back and the girl by next Friday. Otherwise your friends at the station are going to find out a few home truths you've been hiding these past few months."

"She'll be there."

The caller didn't respond before he ended the call.

* * *

Leo spread out the files across his desk and frowned. He'd stared at the notes a hundred times, and yet he had a horrible feeling that he was missing something. Something that should have been obvious. He needed a fresh pair of eyes on the evidence, but he just couldn't bring himself to ask Harry to come in to the office. He was needed elsewhere. And he'd been relying on Janet so often lately that he didn't want to ask her to the Lyell when he knew she had so much work to do of her own.

The girls' photos that lined his desk all had similarities, yet the more Leo looked at them, the more the differences seemed to jump out at him. And it was the photo of Shara Davis that was bothering him the most.

Shara had run. Frank Lemming all but confirmed that she had escaped, disappeared before he realised. But why then was she so similar. Why was she found in the clothes she had disappeared in, but her fingernails were un-cleaned?

"They've been keeping the clothes in the car," Leo muttered to himself, frowning at the photos. That had to be the reason, they must have changed her in to her original clothes and forgotten to clean her nails. It wasn't planned. They panicked. But the clothes were kept somewhere clean, dry and near to hand.

Nikki had already found traces of flower pollen on the clothing, mainly on the girls that they presumed had been changed before they were carelessly placed for a passer by to find. But they were no closer to finding the remaining missing girls than they were weeks ago. Yes they could start to narrow down the areas, but there were so many places that the flower could survive that it was impossible to locate them. As far as Leo knew, from his conversations with Shaw, there was a team of officers out looking around the rivers every day, hoping to hind a sign of the girls.

However Leo had a horrible feeling that Julia might be the one to give them the clues on where to find them.

Leo pushed the papers together into the middle of his desk and made his way out his office, stopping at the door as his phone rang.

"Harry, what's up?"

"Leo?"

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Leo slouched down into the couch in his office, the worry that had left him since he had returned to the office now crashing down on his shoulders once more. What if Harry had worked out what Leo was talking about? What fi he had guessed that Leo was keeping something from him?

He glanced at the coffee cup that was sitting on his desk in the plastic evidence bag. The coffee cup that Harry had been drinking from a few hours ago. It wasn't the same as going behind his back, was it? He hadn't told Harry about Julia's pregnancy because he didn't want to hurt him. Harry didn't need anything else upsetting him, not if it was all for nothing.

After all, there was no guarantee that Harry _was_ the father…

"Leo, you have to get to the hospital. Now."

Leo froze. He'd been so caught up in worrying that Harry had suspected he was up to something that he'd almost forgotten Harry was still at the hospital. Well not forgotten he was there, Harry had spent practically the last four days there. But he'd thought that everything would be the same for another night. There had been no improvements earlier, when Leo had left. And now he didn't know what to say. He was too scared to ask anything, just in case the response was the words he'd been dreading.

"Leo, are you there? Did you hear me?"

The tone of Harry's voice suddenly relaxed Leo. There was no sense of worry, his words didn't wobble at the end of each sentence as if he was about to burst in to tears. If anything, it was the closest Harry had sounded himself in as long as he could remember.

"Yeah, yeah I'm still here Harry. What-"

"She woke up Leo!" Harry burst out suddenly, a nervous laugh escaping at the same time. "Not for long, but she smiled at me, and I know she knew who I was, and she squeezed my hand and-"

"Harry, calm down," Leo laughed with a wide grin. "I'll be right there, ok. An hour max."

"Ok, see you soon," Harry said, and Leo could imagine the grin on his face. "And Leo, thanks."

"No problem, see you soon."

Leo hung up the call and slumped back into the sofa, leaning his head on the armrest and letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

* * *

Harry smiled and dropped his phone back into his jacket pocket before leaning on the edge of Nikki's bed again and signing. He knew he should probably talk to the nurse on reception and tell her that Nikki had woken up, but he just wanted to stay exactly where he was and watch her for a little longer now that the knot in his stomach had loosened slightly.

None of the doctors had told him that Nikki would be ok. None of them told him to talk to her like Leo had. Harry knew that they couldn't make promises that they weren't certain of, but that didn't mean that Harry forgave them. They'd given up, had told Harry that all they could do was wait.

So now they could wait. Harry had been the one that had sat by her side since the night he had found her, and he was going to be the one she saw when she woke up again.

Because she definitely knew who he was when she smiled at him. She was back, completed if a little cracked. And he silently promised himself that he would be the one to fix her.

Taking her hand in his he gently run his thumb over her knuckles, his eyebrows creasing as he did so. It was only now, when he could look at her properly without the fear that made it hard to breath, that he was fully aware of her bandaged wrist and the marks on her skin that he was oblivious to before.

And each one made him feel nauseous.

He knew that under the bandaged wrist were the marks from where she had been held, handcuffed for longer than he wanted to think about. The cut above her eye was small now, the steri-strip no longer needed, her blonde hair no longer full of the dark blood like when he had found her.

There were still signs of the bruises on her neck, yellowing slightly at the edges yet still contrasting against her pale skin.

Harry took Nikki's hand, turning it over in his own and running his fingers along her nails which were now clean of mud and blood. Leo had been sure to request samples on the first night in an attempt to find any traces of evidence; something that Harry hadn't even thought about. 'Some pathologist I'm supposed to be' he thought to himself bitterly.

It was only then, now that he was looking properly, did he notice the marks that peppered her skin, and the bile rose in his throat once more. He had been working long enough to be able to analyse injuries – the length of a blade, the marks left behind my fingers on the skin, the burn of a cigarette…

The tears that sprung to his eyes were tears of anger, and he had to concentrate on keeping his breathing steady, his hands shaking as he clenched them in to fists.

"I'm going to find him Nikki," Harry muttered through clenched teeth, more to himself than anyone else. "I promise you, I'm going to find him. And I'm going to kill him."

* * *

Harry had his head leaning on the end of Nikki's bed on top of his crossed arms, when he got the feeling he was being watched. He blinked open his eyes to be met with a pair of deep brown staring back at him, and the smile sprung to his lips instantly.

"Hey," he grinned, feeling the tears sting the back of his eyes again. Never before in his life had he wanted to cry so much, for so many different reasons.

"Hi," Nikki whispered back, her eyes fixed on his.

There was a silence between them for what felt like an eternity, as Harry greedily drank in the image on front of him, her eyes fixed on his, searching him for answers he didn't want to give her. His Nikki, right there, awake and talking to him.

"How're you feeling?" Harry asked, knowing that it was a stupid question, but unable to think of what to say. He'd been waiting for this moment for days, and now that she was awake Harry was speechless.

"Tired."

"You've been sleeping four days Nikki, you can't be tired," Harry laughed, tucking a loose bit of hair behind her ear.

"Four days," Nikki frowned, the worry washing over her features.

Harry cursed himself for his stupidity and took Nikki's hand in his again, rubbing his thumb along her skin.

"Yeah," Harry smiled. "But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're ok. You need to rest, you're allowed to sleep as long as you want."

Nikki watched Harry for a few minutes before looking away again, her eyebrows still furrowed.

"Harry," she said eventually, and when she looked back at him Harry could see the fear in her eyes. "Harry, what happened?"

"You can't remember?"

"No," Nikki shook her head slightly, tears running down her cheeks and a small sob escaping her lips.

"Sssh, Nikki don't worry," Harry soothed, tucking her hair back behind her ear again and rubbing away the tears on her cheeks. "It's ok. This is all normal. We've been here before remember, when you bumped your head and couldn't remember which side your fridge opened."

Harry didn't know whether he was saying the right things or not. He felt as if he was somehow making everything worse rather than better. Should he really be reminding her of the hospital basement? He didn't want to think of it himself. And the doctor had said that Nikki might not remember anything.

But the doctor had also said that she might not remember him. And she most definitely did remember Harry.

"It's the left," Nikki whispered, sniffing back another sob.

"What is?"

"My fridge. It opens on the left. Doesn't it?"

"It does," Harry laughed, kissing the back of Nikki's hand. "It opens on the left."

"So," Nikki frowned again. "If I can remember that, why can't I remember what happened?"

"Nikki its just some short-term memory loss, it'll be ok, I promise. It's to be expected after what you went through," said Harry, not wanting to talk about it any further. He didn't trust himself to talk about what happened without punching something again.

"Harry," Nikki sighed, a desperation in her eyes. "What happened?"

"I don't know Nikki," Harry looked away, letting go of her hand. "That's just it. I don't know. I can't tell you what happened because I wasn't there. And I should have been. I should have been there to stop any of this happening, and I wasn't."

Harry threw his hands up, running them through his hair in frustration.

"I can't tell you what happened, not really," he struggled to keep his voice steady, his eyes fixed firmly on the door so he couldn't see the hurt on her features. "And to be honest Nikki, I don't want to know. Because I already want to kill the person that did this to you. It should never have happened. If I'd listened to you about Julia then this could have been avoided! If only I'd done something different, done anything at all."

He stopped, the anger threatening to overcome him once again. The silence between them returned and Harry was beginning to think Nikki had fallen asleep again when he heard her voice.

"Harry."

Slowly Harry turned round, their eyes locking. And it was then that he realised how much he had missed those chocolate pupils watching him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Please don't," she whispered, the tears in her eyes. "Please."

Harry sighed and walked back to his position by her bed, slumping back in to the chair that had become his own over the past few days. Once the nurses had realised that Harry wasn't going anywhere, they had swapped the chair for a more comfortable one from their staffroom and left him extra blankets every night. For which he was more than grateful.

"I'm sorry," Harry's voice was just as quiet. "For everything. I'm so, so sorry."

"Don't."

Harry took Nikki's hand in his once more and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"I thought I'd lost you."

"You don't get rid of me that easily," Nikki smiled weakly, and Harry couldn't help but mirror her actions.

"You will remember, in time," Harry stated seriously. "And I promise, I'll be here when you do, ok?"

"Yeah," Nikki nodded. "I know. We'll be ok?"

"Better than just ok," Harry smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You'll be back stealing my desk and eating my fizzy cola bottles in no time."

Nikki smiled, however the smile was quickly replaced by a look of fear as there was a knock at the door, and Harry felt Nikki's grip on his hand tighten. However it loosened again as Leo's head appeared around the side of the door, the grin spread across his face.

"Leo," Nikki chocked, the tears freely running down her cheeks and a small laugh escaping her lips.

And it was almost as if it were contagious, as within minutes, all three were laughing, their cheeks streaked with tears as Leo pulled Nikki into a tight hug.

* * *

"I have to get back to the office," Leo frowned slightly, placing his hand on Nikki's shoulder. "And you need to rest."

"I'm not tired," Nikki said, but was betrayed by the yawn that escaped at her words.

"If you say so," Leo smirked. "I won't be long, I promise. I'll pick up Janet on my way back, she'll be desperate to see you."

"Ok," Nikki smiled, before turning to Harry. "You should go too."

"No," Harry shook his head instantly, his head spinning in her direction. "No, I'm fine here."

"You've been here days," Nikki said. "I asked the doctor. He said you'd hardly left."

Harry didn't miss the smile that graced her lips as she spoke. Harry had told the nurse on duty that Nikki had woken up after he had spoken to Leo on the phone, and she had insisted that the doctor should examine her when she was awake again, almost shoving Harry out the room to do so.

"I'm fine here," Harry frowned.

"No, you need to go back to the Lyell. Or home," Nikki smiled. "If nothing else, for a shower. You smell terrible."

"Oh thanks," Harry laughed, rolling his eyes.

"She does have a point," Leo added, smirking.

"I'm not going anywhere," Harry stated, crossing his arms. "I'm fine here."

"Harry, go away," Nikki rolled her eyes and Harry couldn't help but notice the ghost of the 'old Nikki' in her smile.

"Ok, ok," Harry sighed. "I suppose I should get back to the office for a while. I'll only be a few hours though, I promise."

"Harry," Nikki raised her eyebrows. "Leo's right, I am tired. I'll probably just sleep until you're back, just take your time."

Leo opened the door and waited expectantly for Harry to follow.

"A few hours," Harry said. "I'll be back soon."

"Just go," Nikki laughed, pulling the sheets up slightly and yawning again. "I'll see you soon."

Harry reluctantly followed Leo from Nikki's room and walked directly to reception, calling over the nearest nurse. Leo watched Harry, his hands moving animatedly as he pointed in the direction of Nikki's room. The nurse nodded, placing a hand on Harry's arm and smiling, and Leo could see Harry's shoulders finally relax, before he turned to follow Leo.

"They're going to phone if there's any problems," Harry stated, running his hands through his hair and falling into step beside Leo.

"She'll be ok Harry," Leo smiled, although it quickly disappeared. "Harry, I have to talk to you about Julia."

Leo had been contemplating the idea or telling Harry that Julia was pregnant the entire drive to the hospital, and had decided to wait until the results from the DNA test had come back instead. He'd stopped off at the lab on the way, handing over the coffee cup to find out exactly what they were dealing with before Leo told Harry. There was no point in upsetting Harry any more than was needed right now, and he didn't know how he'd cope with the idea of loosing another unborn child, even if Julia had been involved in the case more than they had realised.

"I'd rather not," Harry said bluntly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

"I know, but I think she might help us with finding the other girls. Until Nikki can remember enough to tell us something. I phoned Shaw and Maddox before I left the office, just to let them know Nikki was awake. They'll probably want to ask her a few questions at some point, but I told them she wouldn't be up to it for a while."

Harry nodded slowly but remained silent.

"I have a few more tests to run when we get back," Leo stated. "But I don't want you anywhere near her, got it? You stay away from the cutting room. You can look through the notes on my desk instead."

Harry nodded again, yet Leo doubted Harry was listening.

"Harry, she's only going to be on her own for a few hours. She'll be fine," Leo placed his hand on Harry's back and could feel the tension in his muscles. "Relax. She's safe here."

Leo waited for Harry to nod, but he just kept walking.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Holly squealed, grabbing hold of Jessica's arm and pulling her away from the door. "We're supposed to be staying together!"

"I'll be back soon," Jessica whispered, shrugging off Holly's hand. "I'm not going home, I just need to do something."

"You can't!" Holly panicked. "We're supposed to stay here. We're supposed to stay hidden, you heard Freya. We can't go home until we know it's safe. And it's not, not yet."

"I know," Jessica hissed impatiently. "I told you, I'm coming back."

"And I'm supposed to believe that!" Holly shot, grabbing her arm again. "I'm supposed to trust you? I know how desperate you are to get home again, back to your dad."

"Of course I want to go home!" Jessica cried. "We all do. But I trusted Nikki. And she asked me to do something. Don't you see, I have to do this, for all of us."

"No, you don't," Holly shook her head quickly. "You don't. Nikki will never find out, will she? Because he killed her. Just like he killed all those other girls, and how he'll kill us if he finds us. You can't go out!"

"Let her go."

Both Holly and Jessica looked round at the sound of Freya's voice, neither of them having noticed her appear behind them. Holly looked at Freya pleadingly, as if willing her to change her mind. To tell Jessica to stay.

"I trusted her too," Freya said simply. "We wouldn't be here now if she hadn't helped us. She knew he would punish her for running, and she did it anyway, to make sure we had half a chance of surviving. So, if she asked Jessica to do something, then we let her go."

Freya smiled at Jessica, a sadness in her eyes.

"How do you trust her when she won't tell us what she has to do?" Holly frowned, her hands on her hips. "Why don't you ask her? She should tell us where she's going, to prove that Nikki did ask her."

"No," Freya answered bluntly. "If Nikki told only Jessica, she did so for a reason."

"But-" Holly tried to reason, but she seemed lost for words.

"But nothing," Freya finished, rummaging in her pocket before pulling out a handful of scrunched up money and loose coins. "Here, take this," she pushed it into Jessica's hand, holding on to it as she spoke. "Roxy gave it to me a few days ago, just in case we needed it. Walk as far as you can away from here, then use a pay phone to call a taxi. You're less likely to be seen, and will get to the right place. Do what you need to do, and come back again, ok? Just don't give them this address, just somewhere near by and walk the rest."

"Ok," Jessica nodded. "I promise I'll be back. I won't go home."

"Good girl," Freya smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Be careful out there."

Letting her go, Freya stepped back and put her arm around Holly who seemed to be on the edge of tears.

"See you soon," Jessica smiled, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

This wasn't supposed to be happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Everything was falling apart around him and he had no idea how to put it all back together again. His careful plans had failed, and now he couldn't see a way out. There had to be a way out.

There had been no news of the missing girls and somehow, this worried him even more. He knew for a fact that Jessica was desperate to get home, and yet there was nothing on the news, nothing at the station. Something wasn't right.

But this meant there was still a chance of finding her again. A miniscule chance, yes. But it was there. The possibility of getting his angels back again, where they belonged.

There was a point, which now felt so very long ago, where he would have been able to find a new one. Just pick her up as she made her way to work in the morning, or as she was walking the dog, or on her way back from college. But not now.

His client was expecting the best. He had had Jessica for weeks, he had weakened her to almost breaking point. He knew that when he drugged her up and left her there for him, the client would be able to do anything he liked to her. She had no fight left.

It would take far too long to start all over again. And yet the client wanted her by the end of the week.

There was only one person who would have any idea where they were now. And luckily for him, he had not long received a phone call to say that she had woken up.

Stubbing out his cigarette on the brick wall, he pocketed his silver cigarette lighter and headed in to the hospital.


	67. Chapter 67 - The Truth

**I am totally ashamed to think about how long I've neglected this for! I am so SO sorry! I really don't know how to explain how terrible I feel for leaving this for so long. To be honest, I didn't even realise it HAD been this long! The year has disappeared scarily quick.**

**Between exams, courses, a holiday and revision, on top of another busy season at work, I seemed to have had no time to spend on this. But after my the news that the new series will be starting in January, I was in a SW mood and then realised that I had most of this written from months ago. So I spent the afternoon updating it instead of revising. Not so good when I have an exam on Wed, but at least I've FINALLY got something new up.**

**I really am so sorry to everyone who has had the patience to continue with this. And to mari27990, Littlefoot19, Freya82, KisiSWFan, Rachel, charliecharlie, dinabar, Izzy, EmmaJ1996, Abluebrown and Carla, thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter (even if you've forgotten you had reviewed now as it was so long ago - sorry!). You are all totally amazing! :D**

**And I promise to review all the fics I'm slowly catching up with over Christmas :) Pinky promise!**

**Anyway, enjoy. I bet you all saw this one coming...**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 67 – The Truth

Harry could feel the cold wind blowing in from the automatic doors at the entrance to the hospital as he walked through reception, and could just make out the grey clouds through the tall windows. In a strange way, the sight of the heavy rain clouds, the sound of umbrellas opening and closing as visitors passed through the doors, it was all comforting to Harry. A reminder that the world was just how he had left it the day he arrived at the hospital with Nikki.

And if things were still the same now, then maybe they could stay that way once Nikki left too. Maybe everything could stay just as it had been before the whole sick 'game' began.

But he couldn't help questioning himself whether he really wanted things to stay exactly how they had been.

"Will you stop worrying!" Leo sighed, turning to Harry. They had walked through the hospital in silence since leaving Nikki's room, but Harry had noticed the way Leo kept watching him. As if he expected him to turn around and go back again. Which if he was honest, he almost had done. "She'll be fine Harry."

"I know," Harry nodded, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other and not stopping. He couldn't go back, not yet. He should have been back at work helping Leo, or at home, or at Nikki's. He should have been doing something to help find who hurt her, but he had left it all to Leo. Who said he didn't mind, which made Harry feel all the more guilty.

Harry was just starting to relax slightly when they rounded the corner and almost walked directly into Maddox, who seemed to fill Harry's entire view with his overwhelming presence.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked instantly, taking a step back from the DCI.

Maddox remained speechless, staring down at Harry and Leo before taking a deep breath, obviously annoyed at Harry's question.

"I was looking for Professor Dalton," Maddox stated bluntly, turning to Leo.

"Then why didn't you ring him?" Harry pressed and noticed Maddox's jaw clench.

"Harry," Leo warned, throwing him a look an annoyed parent would give their child.

"What, it's a reasonable question," Harry shrugged. "Why didn't you ring him? Why did you have to come here instead?"

"Because I wanted to check on Miss Alexander too," Maddox said, turning back to Leo again.

"Why?"

"Harry!" Leo warned. "Maddox helped you find her, he has every right to check how she's doing."

"I would have found her myself. I didn't need his help," Harry frowned, before turning back to Maddox. "So, what was it? Leo rang you to tell you she'd woken up and you thought, I know. I'll go straight to the hospital and question her. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Not even close," Maddox glared at Harry, and Leo was suddenly aware of how close the pair were now standing.

"She's doing ok," Leo interjected, pulling their attention away from each other and towards him. "Nikki, she's doing a lot better. But she can't remember anything. Maybe in a few days she'll be well enough to answer a few questions, but for now she just needs to rest."

"I understand," Maddox nodded. "Thanks for the update."

Leo didn't miss the glare that shot between Harry and Maddox at his words.

Just as Harry opened his mouth to say something again, Maddox's phone began to ring and he quickly rummaged around in his pocket. However, even once he had found his mobile, the source of the ringing continued, and Maddox sighed in frustration before dropping the phone back in to his pocket, and reaching for a smaller mobile in the opposite side of his jacket.

"What?" he asked bluntly, stepping toward the other end of the hall as Harry and Leo exchanged a look of confusion. Yet his deep voice travelled, and the two pathologists were able to make out his every word.

"I told you not to ring me while I'm at work," Maddox sounded annoyed, angry even. "Now? You want me to come right now? This better be important, everything was fine earlier, everything was arranged. You can't just change the date whenever you feel like it and expect me to fit in. No, I'll be there in an hour, there's just something I have to do first."

Maddox ended the call and dropped his phone back in to his pocket, turning towards Harry and Leo.

"I have to go," Maddox stated. "I'm needed at the station. Let me know when she's up for talking."

Leo nodded, shooting Harry a look as if to warn him to not even think about opening his mouth, and watched as Maddox marched back along the corridor and outside.

"Well that was a blatant lie," Harry said as soon as Maddox was out of sight. "Back to the office my arse, he's up to something. What do you think all that was on the phone! I'd say he was having an affair, what with him having two mobiles, but I doubt he's even married."

"I don't know Harry," Leo sighed. "But it's none of our business. Now come on, the sooner we get this work done, the sooner you can come back and annoy Nikki."

Harry nodded reluctantly, falling in to step behind Leo as they left the hospital.

* * *

Maddox watched from the small outdoor sitting area at the front of the hospital as Harry and Leo left, his jacket pulled up to his chin in an attempt to keep the cold out. He knew he didn't have much time. An hour in fact. But he also knew that if he didn't act now, then he would lose his chance.

Professor Dalton had mentioned when he called that he was letting everyone involved on the case know that Nikki had woken up, which meant that she would soon have more visitors. Which meant more distractions. More chance of everything he had worked on going wrong.

And he couldn't afford for things to go wrong now.

Maddox knew the hospital like the back of his hand and had made his way to Nikki's room in minutes, flashing the nurse on reception his ID as he stepped towards her door, hesitating with his hand on the glass as he tried to pick up the courage to go inside.

He had to do this. This had to end today.

* * *

Nikki yawned, but she didn't dare close her eyes. She hadn't lied to Harry, not really. She really was exhausted, but the thought of going to sleep without him sitting beside her was terrifying. And yet she knew that the only way he would leave the hospital was if she told him to.

It wasn't good for him to sit for too long. The longer he sat still, the longer he had to think. And that really wasn't good for Harry.

The last thing Nikki wanted was for Harry to do something stupid.

Taking as big a breath as possible, Nikki clenched her fists to stop them shaking. 'You're being stupid' she told herself stubbornly. 'Just relax.' But that was easier said than done when there were so many thoughts running through her head.

Nikki would have given anything to have walked out the hospital with Harry and Leo, back to the Lyell Centre. Getting lost in a difficult case was one of the most natural feelings in the world to Nikki, and it stopped her from thinking about other things that were best forgotten. But lying on her own, her mind wouldn't switch off.

Harry had mentioned Julia. Had said that if he had listed to Nikki then things would have been different. But she didn't know why. Nikki knew that Harry would always blame himself when something went wrong, even if there was nothing he could have done to change things. But he had seemed so lost when he mentioned Julia, as if he was battling with his own thoughts in his head.

Nikki remembered Julia. She remembered how happy she made Harry, and couldn't quite understand Harry's reaction to her name before he left. Maybe they weren't together any more. Maybe it was all her fault that they were no longer on speaking terms. It wouldn't be the first time that Harry's love interest got the wrong idea of Harry's relationship with her and called the whole thing off. Nikki hoped that wasn't the case this time. Julia really had made Harry happy.

She was pretty too, Nikki remembered that. Tall, blonde hair, younger than she was. They had looked good together, Harry and Julia.

The image of Julia was so clear in her mind that Nikki could almost imagine her standing in front of her, with her arms around Harry, a smile on her lips as if to say 'I've won. He's mine now.' And suddenly, without warning, everything seemed to come rushing back, as if she had somehow unlocked the door to her memory. And Julia was standing in front of her, but Harry had gone. They were in an old, worn out barn, it was dark yet Julia's face was illuminated in the moonlight.

The blade of a knife glinted in the light, there was the sound of a low, gravely laugh that sent shivers down her spine. She heard the click of a cigarette lighter, the distant scream of a young girl which grew louder and louder until it was stopped by the sickening echo of a bone breaking. Every memory seemed to come crashing back at once, tripping over each other and mixing together in one horrible nightmare.

She couldn't breath. Nikki could feel her chest struggling as she gasped for air, heard the machinery around her beep and blare, and yet all she could see were headlights in front of her eyes and the face of the man who had plunged the knife deep in to her skin.

She could remember everything.

From somewhere in her mind she heard a door open and instantly felt her heart beat faster. He was back. He had to be, he had come back to get her. She felt hands grip the top of her arms as her vision blurred but she was too weak to fight him off. With a last shuddering gasp for breath she gave in and felt herself fall into unconsciousness yet again.

* * *

Jessica pulled the hood of her coat tighter around her cheeks, terrified that she was going to be noticed by someone. Thankfully, the heavy rainfall helped her blend in with the crowds of people around her as they clung on to umbrellas or ducked their heads against the rain, all too busy concentrating on getting to their destination. Jessica was sure that she could have walked through the streets with a sign around her neck telling everyone that she had been missing and no one would have noticed. Or cared.

And yet Jessica still pulled the hood of her coat tighter as she quickened her step, glancing over her shoulder as much as she dared. All it would take is for one of them to be behind her and everything would be over. She had to stay hidden, the other girls were counting on her.

Part of her wished that she would pass her dad as he made his way to work. She wished that he would walk past her and recognise her eyes through the gap in her hood. That he would hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. That he would come with her to the Lyell…

Jessica shook her head slightly, blinking back tears. "Grow up," she whispered to herself, "you don't need anyone to hold your hand anymore."

Turning a corner Jessica leant against the side of a large building and looked around her. She didn't know this part of London particularly well, but she knew the university was around there somewhere. And she knew that if she didn't start walking again soon she would just turn around and run back the way she'd came.

She was desperate to get home and yet she knew she had to do this first. That none of them could go home until she found Harry and gave him Nikki's message. She was the only one who knew now, and Nikki had trusted her to find Harry.

After another ten minutes of walking through the busy streets Jessica stopped as a group of teenagers passed in front of her, each carrying a stack of books or with a rucksack slung over their shoulder. And they were all heading in the same direction.

Quickly crossing the road Jessica followed behind the group, wrapping her arms around herself as if to hold everything together. To stop herself from turning back. And soon the university grounds came in to view, the stone walls as grey as the rain clouds apart from the thick black letters that read out 'The Thomas Lyell Centre' above one of the entrances.

Without thinking about it, Jessica took a deep breath and ran down the steps through the door.

* * *

"Nikki told you to go home."

"But I can shower here," Harry protested, raising his eyebrows at Leo. "And I know I have a Pot Noodle in the cupboard, unless Nikki as already eaten it."

"Hmm," Leo mumbled. "I suppose. But remember, you're staying well away from the cutting room."

"I know, I know," Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll stay away."

"I'm trusting you Harry," Leo frowned. "Just stay in my office if you want. I'm going to go to the lab and have another look through some results that were just sent through. I expect you to be here when I get back!"

"I won't leave until you say I can," Harry signed. "I'll stay in your office, like a good little boy."

"Very funny," Leo smiled. "I won't be long."

Harry waved his fingers in Leo's direction as he headed to the kitchen, finding the Pot Noodle he had hidden from Nikki on the top shelf and flicking on the kettle. It felt good to be back at the Lyell, and yet at the same time every cell in his body was screaming to go back to the hospital. He'd been there so much the last few days that reality had somehow become lost in all the confusion. But seeing her awake had brought back some of the normality. It was like a reassurance that things were going to be alright in the end. They were one step closer to being back to how things should be.

Closing his eyes and leaning against the counter he suddenly realised just how tired he was. He could hear the kettle beginning to bubble and tried to keep himself from falling asleep where he stood, yet it was an effort to concentrate. It was only the sound of a small knock on glass that forced him to open his eyes again and look around for the office.

Harry had thought he had imagined it at first, until the knock from the glass entrance doors sounded again. Frowning, Harry left the kitchen and buzzed open the doors – but there was no one there.

"Hello?" Harry said to the empty entrance, hoping that the lack of sleep hadn't started to mess with his mind. "Hello?"

Shrugging to himself, Harry turned round to head back to the kitchen.

"Wait."

He stopped, turning back to the entrance to see a young girl step out from around the corner, her head ducked down and hidden beneath her fluffy hood.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked, stepping towards her.

"I- I think I've made a mistake," the young girl stuttered. "I asked the woman on reception where to go, but I think I'm on the wrong floor. I'm sorry."

"Hold on," Harry ran towards her, catching her by the arm as she turned away. The young girl flinched but stopped in her tracks. "Who are you looking for?"

"No one," she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I have to go."

"Maybe I can help you," Harry said, feeling her tremble as he held her arm.

"You can't!" she shrieked, pulling her arm away, her hood falling down as she stepped back.

Harry stared at the girl in front of him, her knotted blonde hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She looked terrified, and yet somehow familiar. As if he had seen her eyes stare up at him from a photo on his desk only a few days ago.

"Jessica?" he asked slowly, stepping towards her again. "Jessica Farrow?"

"How-?" Jessica stuttered, her eyes wide as she stumbled backwards. "How do you-?"

"Jessica, please listen to me. I can help you," Harry moved before Jessica and stood in front of her, blocking her escape route. "My name's Harry. Harry Cunningham. I'm a friend of Nikki's. You know Nikki, don't you?"

"No," Jessica shook her head, yet the fear in her eyes confirmed her lie. "This was a mistake. She told me to only speak to Harry, she told me I would know who he was."

"She had a message for me?" Harry asked, feeling something churn in his stomach at the thought of new information on the case. On the thought that he could have something to help him find who hurt Nikki.

"I- I-" Jessica panicked, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the door, but Harry took her by the hand and pulled her through the door in to the office. He wasn't going to let her escape that easily.

Harry made sure the door was closed before directing Jessica to the couch outside Leo's office and motioning her to sit down. But Jessica refused, instead glancing at around every few seconds and wringing her hands together.

"I need to go," she trembled. "I need to get out of here."

Grabbing hold of her by the top of her arms Harry held Jessica still, standing between her and the door.

"Get off me," Jessica shouted suddenly, pulling away from Harry. "Get off me, I need to go. I need to get back to them, I can't stay here!"

"Jessica, calm down," Harry tried to sooth her, yet Jessica was frantic.

"I can't stay here. I've let her down, I've let them all down. I was supposed to talk to Harry, only Harry."

"Jessica!"

Jessica finally stopped, the tears running freely down her cheeks as she struggled to level her breathing. Harry didn't dare let go of her arms, worried that if he did she would run before he had the chance to stop her.

"Please," Harry said softly. "Nikki wouldn't have told you something if it wasn't important. She must have trusted you. And you can trust me, I promise. I can help you."

Slowly, Jessica nodded her head and Harry felt her relax slightly.

"Good girl," Harry smiled. "Just breathe. Now, what did Nikki tell you?"

"To talk to Harry, and only Harry," Jessica replied quietly, sniffing slightly.

"Good," Harry nodded. "And you've done that, haven't you? You've managed to find me, on your own, without anyone noticing."

Jessica nodded again, smiling slightly.

"What else did she tell you?" Harry pressed gently.

"That- that we had to hide. That we couldn't go home, not until I had found you," Jessica explained, her eyes not meeting Harry's. "She said that we wouldn't be safe until I told you, and that once I had, you'd know what to do. You would be able to help us."

Harry could feel his heartbeat quicken and would have been clenching his hands to stop them shaking if he wasn't still holding on to Jessica's arms, not quite trusting her not to run off just yet.

"I can help you," Harry emphasised. "I promise. We work closely with the police, we can-"

"No!" Jessica shouted, her eyes wide and a look of panic on her features. "No, Nikki didn't say anything about the police, she only mentioned you. She only spoke about Harry, she told us that Harry could help, she said he'd know what to do. Harry was supposed to make it all better."

Jessica tried to wriggle free again, pulling her arms away from Harry and falling to her knees, where she seemed to fold up and cry. Harry knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Jessica," he said quietly after a few moments of silence. "I promise you, I am Harry. And Nikki is my best friend. So whatever she's said to you, I'll believe, ok? You don't need to be scared. I can help you, all of you, but you need to help me first. You need to tell me what she said."

"You're Harry," Jessica whispered to herself. "You're definitely Harry."

"I'm definitely Harry," he smiled slightly. "And I work with Nikki. And that is my desk right there-" Harry pointed in the direction of his desk "-which you wouldn't believe half the time because Nikki seems to think that its hers, not mine. Unless she's spilt her coffee over it because somehow that makes it mine again until I've cleaned it up."

"And I did hear you before I saw you," Jessica stuttered.

Harry laughed, only imagining some of the things Nikki must have said about him.

Jessica looked up slowly, her eyes still brimming with tears.

"You're her best friend," she almost whispered, a deep sadness overcoming her features. "Did you- did you find her? Were you the one who found Nikki?"

"Yes," Harry nodded, smiling slightly, hoping that this would somehow reassure Jessica that he could be trusted, that he was the Harry Nikki had been talking about. But instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect as Jessica tucked her head against her knees again and sobbed.

Harry continued to sit with her, feeling the impatience rise at the thought of not being with Nikki. At the thought of Jessica knowing something that could help them, and yet seeming unwilling to share. Eventually, Harry heard the soft mutters from Jessica, who remained tucked up and spoke to her knees.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the floor. "I'm so so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Harry reassured her, rubbing her shoulder slightly. "Absolutely nothing. But you can help me now, can't you. You can help me and all the girls that are missing, and Nikki-"

"But that's just it," Jessica chocked. "I can't help Nikki. I couldn't help her. She died to save us and we could hear her scream, but she made us promise that we would stay where we were. She made us promise to wait until they had gone, before we ran. And we did. We listened to her scream and we didn't help her!"

"Jessica!" Harry shouted again, holding her arms and forcing her to look at him. "Calm down. You don't understand. She's alive, Jessica. Nikki's ok. She's in hospital, I've just been to see her."

"No," Jessica shook her head. "You're lying. You can't be Harry. I heard her! I heard her and I can't get the screams out of my head. You can't be Harry, you're working for him. You're lying!"

"Jessica," Harry breathed, sitting down properly as his knees began to go numb. "I have just left the hospital, I promise. Nikki sent me home for a shower. And I promise you that's she's ok. But she can't remember anything that happened. Which I think at the moment is probably a good thing, because she really needs to rest, but you can help her now. If she's told you something, it must have been important."

Jessica nodded slightly, sniffing.

"What did she tell you, Jessica?"

"She's ok?" Jessica asked again, smiling and waiting for Harry to nod. "And I can see her? Once all this is over, once I've told you and you make all this stop. Then I can go see her?"

"Of course you can," Harry nodded, looking directly at Jessica. "I'll take you there myself. Please Jessica, what did she tell you?"

"I can see why she likes you, you know," Jessica smiled. "You're just like she described."

"Knowing Nikki, I don't want to think about how she described me," Harry smirked, desperate to reassure Jessica and yet desperate for the message Nikki had given her. "Jessica, what did Nikki tell you?"

"His name," Jessica whispered, trying to look away from Harry who pulled her closer to him.

"She knew who he was? The one who did this to you. The one who hurt her?" Harry could feel his own hands shaking now and quickly let go of Jessica before he clenched them closed.

"Yeah," Jessica nodded, the tears running down her cheeks again. "She said that you would know who he is and would know what to do, but I couldn't go to the police. It had to be you I told."

"Jessica, what's his name?" Harry asked desperately.

Jessica took a deep breath and fixed her eyes to Harry's.

"Shaw," she said, her voice shaking. "She said his name was Shaw."


	68. Chapter 68 - Clenched Fists

**Hello...**

**I would apologise (again!) for the ridiculously long wait since the last chapter, but I don't think it would cover it. But I will anyway - I'M SO SORRY! I'm blaming exams and revision and work and writers block, but I really shouldn't have left it so long! It's been a stupid length of time since the last chapter - I even had to read back to remember where it was up to! :(**

**I am determined that this will be finished. It's actually not got much left to go, and I have a plan for each chapter from now until the end, I just need to find the time to write it! I do know though that I can't leave it as long again. I need to make the time to finish this (for my own sanity if nothing else!)**

**A million thank you's to EVERYONE who's read this, and for the messages and reviews. You are all more than amazing and I really am sorry for not updating this sooner.**

**And to foxyhawes, mari27990, Littlefoot19, charliecharlie, dinabar, Freya82, Rachel, Izzy and kamarooka, thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter (all that time ago). Everyone's feedback really is appreciated and this would have been given up on long ago if it wasn't for you all.**

**This one is a little jumpy, but I needed to get this moving again.**

**Thank you so so much, sorry for the wait, and hope you're still enjoying (if you can remember whats happening) :)**

**xXx**

* * *

Chapter 68 – Clenched Fists

Harry felt numb. As if he had suddenly lost control of everything around him, just as he thought he was starting to regain some form of normality. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to lash out. To grab the nearest thing to him and throw it at as far as he could, just to hear it smash. Just to see it shatter in to a thousand pieces with no possibility of ever sticking it back together.

But he couldn't. He had to stay calm. For now at least.

Harry could feel his hands tremble and suddenly realised that he still had a hold of Jessica by the arms. Slowly letting her go, he clenched his fists as tight as possible and bit hard on his lip.

He had to stay calm.

"Harry," Jessica whispered, her eyes wide and full of fear, as if she had done something terrible.

"You need to stay here," Harry answered eventually; the taste of blood in his mouth from where he had broke the skin on his lip. "You need to stay in Leo's office until he's back from the cutting room. He'll look after you."

Harry was surprised at how calm his voice sounded despite the fact that he was internally falling apart.

"No, I can't. I need to-"

"Stay in the office!" Harry shouted, spinning round to look at Jessica again and instantly regretting raising his voice as he spotted the tears running down her cheeks.

"Please," he added slowly, letting out a long breath. "I need to know you're safe. Leo will keep you safe. You trust Nikki, don't you? And she told you to trust me. And I need you to stay here, with Leo."

"What about everyone else?" Jessica asked, her eyes constantly darting to the door. "What will happen to them?"

"Does anyone know where they are?" Harry questioned, and Jessica slowly shook her head. "Then they'll be safe too. Tell Leo where they are, but make sure he doesn't call the police. Do you hear me Jessica, do _not _let him call the police."

"Ok," Jessica nodded. "Ok, I'll stay here. But- but where are you going?"

"I'm going to fix this," Harry said, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to fix this."

* * *

Maddox watched through the glass as the nurses busied around Nikki, adjusting machinery and tucking her bed sheets in around her. Time was running out and he didn't dare look at his watch. This had all gone too far, it should never have been allowed to get to this stage.

Stepping aside as the nurses left, Maddox followed them to the nurses' station.

"What happened?" he asked, folding his hands in to his pockets. "With Miss Alexander."

The nurse hesitated for a second as if unsure whether she could tell him anything, but seemed to decide that she could. Maddox usually had a way of persuading people to give him the information he wanted.

"She's fine," the nurse nodded. "She just had a panic attack. Not surprising really, after everything she's been through."

Maddox nodded slowly.

"So, it's alright if I go in to see her then," he said it more as a statement than a question, and the nurse hesitated again.

"She should rest."

"I won't disturb her," he said bluntly as he turned back towards Nikki's room and heard the nurse mumble a small 'oh, ok then' behind him.

Maddox stared back through the glass door to Nikki's room and took a deep breath. 'This has to end,' he thought to himself for the hundredth time that day. And yet he was surprised to see his hand tremble as he placed it on the door. Clenching his fists to keep them from shaking he roughly pushed open the door and moved to the chair that sat next to Nikki's bed.

She looked like she was asleep, and yet Maddox could see the small crease on her forehead and the way her eyes flickered, as if fighting off unconsciousness. The room was eerily quiet, apart from the steady beep of the heart monitor and the loud ticking of the clock on the opposite wall. Maddox glanced towards the clock without thinking and flinched when he saw the time. It was running out.

Twiddling his thumbs to keep his hands busy, Maddox's eyes danced between Nikki and the door.

Ten minutes left.

'Wake up' Maddox whispered to himself over and over again, as if repeating it could convince Nikki to do so. And eventually, although he was giving up hope, Nikki opened her eyes and looked straight at him.

* * *

Nikki startled when she spotted Maddox sitting next to her, her eyes wide and her body alert. She could feel every muscle in her body tense and had to fight back the scream that was trying to force itself out.

"Don't worry," Maddox said slowly. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Nikki remained silent, trying to focus on keeping her breathing steady, and yet could hear the heart monitor betraying how terrified she actually was.

"I don't have much time," Maddox spoke quickly. "But I need to talk to you."

"I don't remember anything," Nikki whispered, her throat hoarse. "I can't help you."

"I know that's a lie," Maddox stated bluntly, standing up and pushing the chair to the side.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about," Nikki stuttered. "I can't help you."

"You can,' Maddox said, leaving no room for argument. "You just don't want to. Because you don't think you can trust me."

Nikki opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again feeling lost for words.

He was right.

"It's ok, you have every right not to trust me," Maddox said, pacing between the chair and the door, his eyes flicking to the clock every few minutes. "But I need you to, just this once. I need you to believe me when I say that I'm here to help you. You and the other girls."

Maddox stopped and looked straight at Nikki. "I promise."

And Nikki did believed him. As much as she wanted to shout at him to get out and never return, she believed that he was here to help.

"I don't have much time," Maddox repeated. "But all I need is for you to give me a name. I can't act until you do. I have been working to this for weeks, but without any evidence, I can't do a thing. I need you to help me, help you. I need you to give me his name."

"But- but you were hiding something," Nikki's voice trembled. "Weeks ago, when you re-interviewed Frank Lemming. You let him go, even tough- he was supposed to take you to the house where he met Shara Davis. I read the transcript. But you let him go."

"Because I knew he was lying too," Maddox replied, his voice dangerously steady. "And I knew it was very unlikely we'd see Mr Lemming again if I let him go back to the house. Don't you see Nikki? I know what's happened. What's happening right now. And I know I can stop this, but I need your help."

Maddox checked the clock, and then his watch, before glancing to the door again.

"I need to go," he said quickly. "There's somewhere I need to be. Please Nikki, the sooner you tell me, the sooner this can all be over. We can save the others before he gets to them."

Nikki felt her heartbeat quicken again and forced herself to calm down.

She could trust him, couldn't she? He was an officer after all, and everything he had said made sense. But then again, she had trusted…

"Ok," Nikki nodded, fighting off the tears that were burning the back of her eyes. "Ok, but only if you promise me something. Only if you promise me that you'll keep Harry away from all of this. Because when he finds out, there's no telling what he'll do. He'll want to become involved, and he can't. You have to make sure that he doesn't get in to any kind of trouble,"

"I'll try," Maddox nodded. "But these past few weeks, I've come to realise just how… stubborn, you pathologists are."

Nikki smiled slightly, before nodding again and taking a deep breath.

"Shaw," she whispered slowly, and Maddox tilted his head slightly, his eyes finding hers, one hand already on the door.

"Thank you," he said, and then he was gone.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Leo asked, a pen in one hand and the phone in the other. "You've double checked it to confirm."

"I've told you Mr Dalton, there was no match. The samples you sent us were not related."

"So there is no way that first sample could be the father," Leo repeated.

"No, there is no possibility," the voice on the other end of the phone confirmed again.

"Thank you," Leo smiled to himself. "That was actually what I was hoping to hear. Oh, before you go," he added quickly. "Could you run the second sample against the other DNA from this case? I'll email you a confirmation by the end of the day. Just to rule out any other possibilities."

"Of course," the voice answered. "That's what we're here for."

"Thanks again."

Leo hung up and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He knew he shouldn't be so happy – after all, the lab results hadn't brought them any closer to finding the killer. But they had confirmed that Harry was not the father of Julia's baby. And that seemed a small victory in itself.

The last thing Harry needed in his life was more complications. More heartache.

But Leo also knew that he should tell Harry the truth, now that he knew the baby was nothing to do with him. After all, Harry was still involved in the case. They all were, whether they liked it or not. He just didn't know whether he could bring himself to upset things again.

Leo frowned and drummed his fingers along the edge of the table. 'Harry should know', he mumbled to himself. He would tell him. While Harry was still in a reasonably good mood. And while he was alone in the office, where he could take out his frustrations on Leo without anyone else witnessing it.

Running his hand through his hair, Leo grabbed the file and made his way back to the office.

Leo yawned as he pushed open the door to the office, expecting to see Harry sat at Nikki's desk, but he wasn't there. And there was no noise coming from the kitchen. Hoping that he had finally passed out on the sofa, Leo entered his office ready to tell Harry the news about Julia, and stopped when he came face to face with a young, terrified looking girl who had drawn the hood of her coat around her cheeks as tightly as she could, as if trying to hide.

"Oh, hello," Leo said, smiling warmly. "How did you-?"

Leo glanced towards the door and the girl seemed to take a step back, her eyes growing wider.

"Did Harry let you in here?" he asked gently.

The girl nodded.

"And where's Harry now?"

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice trembling. "He left. He told me to stay here."

There was a pause as Leo's eyes darted back to the door. Harry was supposed to wait for him, not disappear at the first chance he got.

"Are you Leo?" the girl asked quietly, her eyes fixed on Leo.

"I am," Leo smiled again, trying to hide his worry. "What's your name?"

There was a pause again, but this time it was Leo waiting for a response.

"Jessica," she mumbled. "My name is Jessica."

Leo opened his mouth to respond and paused as the light caught Jessica's features.

"Jessica," Leo repeated, lost in thought. "Jessica Farow? You're-"

"Yes," Jessica said hurriedly. "But you can't tell anyone! Please, Harry said that you would keep us all safe. You can't call the police. They can't get involved. Not yet!"

"Ok, it's alright," Leo stuttered, taking hold of Jessica by the top of the arms. "Calm down, I'm not calling anyone. Now I think we should sit down and you can tell me exactly what you and Harry were talking about. How does that sound?"

Jessica hesitated, as if ready to dart to the door.

"I won't tell the police," Leo said firmly. "I promise. If Harry doesn't want us to go to the police, I won't. I'll speak to Harry first."

Leo knew that Harry would have a reason for not going to the police. He had his disagreements with them in the past, but he would never jeopardies a case. Especially not one they were so involved in.

"Ok," Jessica nodded. "I'll tell you everything."

* * *

It had started to rain again. The clouds were so dark that it was hard to tell what time of day it was and the wind cut through Harry's coat as he pulled it tighter across his shoulders.

He didn't know where to go. Or what to do now that he had left the Lyell.

He wanted to find Shaw, pin him to the wall and punch his lights out. But at the same time, he didn't want to find him. Because he knew that if he did, there would be no stopping him. He wouldn't just pin him to the wall. He'd kill him.

And he wouldn't think twice about it.

He could feel the rain running down his nose and dripping off the collar of his coat, but he didn't care. His phone started buzzing in his pocket but he ignored it, knowing it would be Leo. He must have met Jessica by now. And she would have told him everything, if she trusted him enough.

He wanted to go and see Nikki again, to make sure that she was still okay. But there was an even bigger part of him that knew he couldn't go back to the hospital yet. He would be no use to anyone if he went back now. When he thought about it, he'd probably just create more problems if he went back now. Nikki would be able to tell within seconds that he knew something.

Clenching his fists again until his fingers felt numb, he took a deep breath and started walking. He didn't know where he was going, where he should go, he just knew that he had to move.

* * *

Leo sat in his car, the air con on full blast despite the cold outside, in an attempt to keep himself focused. To stop himself from going over and over in his mind everything that Jessica had just told him. And so he could think, could try and work out what to do next.

He had to find Harry, of that much he was sure. Now that Jessica had told him about Shaw, Leo knew that he had to find Harry before he did something stupid.

Leo frowned and rested his head on his steering wheel, exhaling deeply. Jessica had promised that she had somewhere safe to stay and had even let Leo drop her off somewhere close by.

"Everything's going to be ok now, isn't it?" Jessica had asked Leo as he pulled over near a bus stop to let her out his car.

Leo nodded slowly, smiling the best he could.

"Yes," he said simply. "I promise. It won't be long now."

Leo had made sure Jessica had taken his mobile number, and asked her to phone him at six every evening so he could keep her up to date on what was going on. And then he had driven back to the Lyell, stopped his car and sat there for the next half hour, not knowing what to do next.

Every part of him longed to be able to turn the clocks back a few weeks, before all this mess started. Before his team, his family, had been ripped apart and pushed to their limits. If it hadn't been for Janet, he didn't know what he would have done. He'd had to be strong, he'd had to let Harry break down, push everyone away and finally come back again. And everything was starting to get back to normal.

Until now. Until he'd been told that one of the few people he had trusted enough to discuss the case with, who he believed was trying to find out who was responsible, had been the reason they were all in this situation in the first place.

Leo's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel, clenching his jaw to stop himself from screaming. There was part of him, a much bigger part of him than he'd want to believe, that wanted to find Harry just to help him kill Shaw. To hold him still and let Harry take out every last bit of frustration on Shaw before watching him fall to the ground. Broken.

But he couldn't do that. As much as he wanted to, he knew that it would only make things much worse if he were to let Harry punch Shaw. Even just the once.

No, the sensible thing to do would be to stay far, far away from Shaw. To le the police – those who weren't corrupt murderers – do their job.

Which meant that Leo knew exactly where to go to find Harry.

Taking a deep breath and steadying his shaking hands, Leo turned his car back on and headed towards the police station.

* * *

Harry leant against the wall opposite the police station, watching each officer as they entered through the front doors, their heads ducked down as they ran trough the rain. He had been walking for over an hour and found himself stood outside the station without even realising that is where his feet had taken him.

The sky had only grown darker as he had walked. It was now a threatening black with the promise of thunder, and Harry couldn't help but notice how it reflected his mood perfectly. He could almost feel the ruble of anger cursing through his body, ready to break free as soon as he spotted Shaw.

Shaw had to leave the station soon. Or arrive. He didn't really care which, as long as he turned up, ready to act the hero. Ready to pretend that he was working day and night to catch the person responsible.

And all this time, he had been lying to them. Had been stringing them along as part of his game, manipulating the evidence, distracting them from the facts. If only Harry had known sooner. If only he had trusted his instincts, maybe he could have prevented all of this from happening.

Then again, it was Nikki's instincts he should have listened to. She had warned him, weeks ago, that Julia shouldn't be trusted, and he had ignored her. Had chose to believe that she was jealous of his happiness rather than believe her. He had chosen a brief romantic fling over his best friend, had lashed out at her, had hurt her when he was supposed to be protecting her.

She was his best friend. They had been through so many ups and downs over the years, had fought together against the police, against those who thought that they were looking at all the wrong evidence. Yes they had had their arguments, had fallen out over a case on more than one occasion, but they had always been there for each other when they needed to be.

And he should have been there for her this time. Instead of indulging his ego with a new fling.

He'd never forgive himself for letting her down.

Harry shivered slightly as he pulled his jacket tighter across his shoulders. He was exhausted but he had to feel like he was doing something. He had to do something to fix the mess they were in, and this was the only thing he could think of.

Yawning, Harry stretched against the wall and tilted his head back to let the rain fall on his face. He had to stay awake. Alert.

He was just about to head to the car park to wait, just to get the feeling back in his toes, and then there he was. Strolling towards the front door with his phone in hand, waving to other officers as they passed by as if he was their friend. Like he was just about to spend hours trolling through the evidence they had obtained, desperate to find the person responsible.

When all this time, he had been the cause of the heartache. He had destroyed the lives of so many people in his sick game.

Pushing himself off the wall Harry pulled the collar of his coat tighter and took a step towards the station, his hands already clenched into tight fists ready to release the anger that was ready to boil over.

Until there was a tight hand on his shoulder preventing him from going any further. Harry spun round quickly ready for an argument with Leo. He knew that Leo would find him eventually, he always did.

And then Harry found himself face to face with Maddox, the rain dripping off the end of his nose.

"Not here," Maddox stated bluntly. "We need to talk."


End file.
